A Doll House
...when she compares herself to a doll. She says, “He (daddy) called me his little doll baby, and he played with me the way I played with my dolls. I have been your doll wife here….and the children have been my dolls.” Nora’s father and her husband have only “played” with her her entire life; they have never truly loved her and thought of her as anything more than a doll that they can make do anything. She is almost like a marionette; such as, which ever way she is turned, pulled or tilted is exactly the way she goes undoubtedly. This is illustrated very evidently in her situation with Krogstad. Her thoughts and emotions are controlled by the direction in which Krogstad is pulling her, which is to save his job. Krogstad threatens Nora by saying, “Let me tell us this: if I’m going to be kicked out again, you’ll keep me company.” Not only is symbolism used to represent relationships but individuals as well. The tarantella is representative of the way that Nora feels inside. When she violently practices in front of Torvald to stall him from the mailbox, she is letting out how she feels in her mind. Nora feels out of control inside and crazy. Her life is spinning out of control as well as the dance she is aggressively performing. Torvald says to Nora, “You are dancing as if it were a matter of life or death,” and Nora’s response is, “It is! It is!” Nora’s response illustrates how her true feelings are bursting out in the Tarentella. Her feelings, however, are not the only ones that appear through symbols. Torvalds contrast of knitting and embroidery is symbolic of his extravagant tastes. He says to Mrs Lind, “You ought to take up embroidery instead because it is so much more beautiful.” Looks come well before function in Torvald’s mind; for example, knitting is much more functional than embroidery, but he prefers embroidery because is even looks better in the act. He would much rather have Nora look like his perfect doll than be of any use Dramatic irony is used to allow the audience to understand the deep dilemma that Nora is in. Torvald is under the impressions that Nora is his perfect “little songbird.” The dramatic irony is very prevalent in the play when at the end of act one T...