A Doll’s House
by
Henrik Ibsen
(Symbols)
Symbol is something, that represents or
stands for something else, usually by convention or association, esp. a
material object used to represent something abstract.
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree, a festive object
that serves an ornamental purpose, depicts Nora's situation in her home as a
plaything who is attractive to look at and adds charm to the home. The play draws many parallels between
Nora and the Christmas Tree. As Nora instructs the maid that the children
cannot see the tree until it is decorated, she tells Torvald that no one can
see her in her dress until the evening of the dance. Also, at the beginning of
the second act, after Nora’s psychological condition has begun to erode, the
stage directions indicate that the Christmas tree is correspondingly “disheveled.”
New Year’s Day
The action of the play is set at
Christmastime, and both Nora and Torvald look forward to the new year as the
beginning of a new, happier phase in their lives. In the new year, Torvald will
start his new job, and he hopes with enthusiasm for the extra money the job
will bring him. Nora also looks forward to Torvald's new job, as she will
eventually be able to repay her secret loan to Krogstad. By the end of the
play, however, the nature of the new start that New Year’s represents for
Torvald and Nora has changed dramatically. They both must become new people and
face radically changed ways of living. Hence, the new year comes to mark the
beginning of a truly new and different period in both their lives and their
personalities.
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