A Doll’s House
by
Henrik Ibsen
(Motifs)
A motif is a symbolic image or idea,
that appears frequently in a story. Motifs can be symbols, sounds, actions,
ideas, or words. Motifs strengthen a story by adding images and ideas to the
theme present throughout the narrative.
Nora’s Definition of Freedom
Nora's understanding of the meaning of
freedom develops over the course of the play. In the first act, she believes
that she will be totally “free” as soon as she has repaid her debt, as she will
have the opportunity to devote herself fully to her domestic responsibilities.
After Krogstad blackmails her, however, she reconsiders her conception of
freedom and questions whether she is happy in Torvald’s house, subjected to his
orders and edicts. By the end of the play Nora wants a new kind of freedom. She
wants to be free from her family obligations to pursue her ambitions, beliefs
and identity.
Letters
Many of the plot’s twists and turns
depend upon the writing and reading of letters, which function within the play
as the subtext that reveals the true, unpleasant nature of situations obscured
by Torvald and Nora’s efforts at beautification. Krogstad writes two letters:
the first reveals Nora’s crime of forgery to Torvald; the second retracts his
blackmail threat and returns Nora’s promissory note. The first letter, which
Krogstad places in Torvald’s letterbox near the end of Act Two, represents the
truth about Nora’s past and initiates the inevitable dissolution of her
marriage—as Nora says immediately after Krogstad leaves it, “We are lost.”
Nora’s attempts to stall Torvald from reading the letter represent her
continued denial of the true nature of her marriage. The second letter releases
Nora from her obligation to Krogstad and represents her release from her
obligation to Torvald. Upon reading it, Torvald attempts to return to his and
Nora’s previous denial of reality, but Nora recognizes that the letters have
done more than expose her actions to Torvald; they have exposed the truth about
Torvald’s selfishness, and she can no longer participate in the illusion of a
happy marriage.
Dr. Rank’s method of communicating his
imminent death is to leave his calling card marked with a black cross in
Torvald’s letterbox. In an earlier conversation with Nora, Dr. Rank reveals his
understanding of Torvald’s unwillingness to accept reality when he proclaims,
“Torvald is so fastidious, he cannot face up to -anything ugly.” By leaving his
calling card as a death notice, Dr. Rank politely attempts to keep Torvald from
the “ugly” truth. Other letters include Mrs. Linde’s note to Krogstad, which
initiates her -life-changing meeting with him, and Torvald’s letter of
dismissal to Krogstad.
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