Women are generally loving and self- sacrificing. Validate this statement basing your illustrations on the play ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen

27/7/2020

The Play: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Women are generally loving and self- sacrificing. Validate this statement basing your illustrations on the play ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen (20mks)

Introduction
In today’s society, a person who claims to love you or really concerned about you would go to any level to show how much they care. Nora and Mrs. Linde clearly brings out this in the plays, A Doll”s House.

Nora, proves her true love and concern when she risks by forging her father’s signature in order to acquire money for the sake of her husband’s health. She goes against societal expectations and provides financial support to Helmer when he fell ill and takes him to Italy to recover. This clearly portrays her love towards her husband.

Nora sacrifices her comfort, a good and comfortable life and good clothes too in order to look for money and save as much as she can to pay the loan. She does odd jobs like embroidery and crocheting, she also saves some money given by Torvald and buys herself cheap and simple clothes with an aim of saving for the payment of the loan. Torvald also reminds her how she shut herself up for three weeks during the last Christmas Holiday making ornaments. This clearly portrays her love and sacrifice for her family.

Mrs. Linde also sacrifices her happiness when she abandons Krogstad whom she really loved for a richer man. She did this in order to get money to take care of her sick mother and younger siblings. Later on the old man dies leaving her Childless, poor and lonely. This is real sacrifice for the sake of love.

Christine Linde also sacrifices her honour and pride when she approaches Krogstad and apologies to him for her actions. She explains her reason for leaving him and asks him if they can come together as she feels empty and has no one to mourn for and no one to care for. Krogstad accept their proposal. This clearly brings Linde as a selfless person who is able to sacrifice for the sake of love and concern.

Ann sacrifices her comfort in order to take of Nora and later Nora’s Children. Anne leaves her own daughter behind and moves in with Nora’s family to become Nora’s nurse. Nora had no mother and Ann fitted in the gap with lots of love. Even Nora wonders how Ann had the heart to give up raising her own child in order to work but it is clear that Anne had to make this sacrifice in order to fend for her own family. She gladly takes care of Nora’s children and contends herself with letters from her daughter on important occasions such as her wedding.

In conclusion, it is clear that a person who loves and is concerned about another becomes selfless and goes to any extent to prove this as brought out in the essay.

Using illustrations from the ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen, Show how lies and deceit are exposed in the play (20mks)

Whenever people find themselves in a difficult situation, they use lies to cover up for their actions. This is clearly potrayed by Henrik Ibsen in his play ‘A Doll’s House’.

As the play begins, Nora behaves like an obedient and honest wife. However, this is not her real character.

She does not want to reveal to her husband that she had loaned money from Krogstamnd to facilitate their trip to Italy.

Krogstad deceit is exposed. He commits a forgery. This act of deceit destroys his reputation that he fins it difficult to get employed.

Dr. Rank also comes out as deceitful and dishonest. He has been deceiving both Nora and Torrald for years about the depth of the depth of his feeling for Nora. Only when she attempts to seek his financial help does Nora finally see beneath the surface to the doctor’s real feelings. He has been lusting for his best friend’s wife all those years.

Torrald, who has been deceived throughout most of the play, is finally revealed in the final act to be the one most guilty of deception. He has deceived Nora into believing that he loved and cherished her, while all the while he had regarded her as little more property.
(Mark any other well illustrated point)