Symbols In Dolls House Novel - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 816 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: A Doll's House Essay Did you like this example? In most languages, each object is assigned a gender, typically either masculine or feminine, which determines how sentences are structured. In A Dolls House, certain objects serve as symbols that develop the theme of the play and portrays hidden aspects open to interpretation by the reader, similar to most works in literary drama. These symbols have been assigned masculine or feminine attributes and the gender determines how Nora feels towards her role as a woman in society. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Symbols In Dolls House Novel" essay for you Create order In A Dolls House, the feminine and masculine attributes of the symbols caused Nora, the protagonist, to either conform to her gender standards or sparked the desire to do the opposite and not accept the one she has been given, developing characteristics of her own instead, during her struggle to find herself as an individual. The most evident object in A Dolls House is a dollhouse itself and the gender typically attributed to the object is predominantly feminine as dolls are seen as being toys for girls. Dollhouses tend to be seen as fragile and a very isolated setting that is full of loneliness and conducive to internal monologues digesting what the perceived superior authority is promoting. Dollhouses have a closed back panel and an open front which symbolizes an access to escape yet the backbone of society is so beautifying that one feels compelled to be a prisoner. Throughout the play, Nora is treated like a doll as if she be put on a shelf to be controlled by all the men in her life, continuously referencing the control exerted over her by her husband and her father which could be seen as playing with her, as one would with a doll: Nora: Its true Torvald. When I lived at home with Papa, he used to tell me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinion. If I thought differently, I had to hide it from him, or he wouldnt have liked it. He called me his little doll, and he used to play with me just as I played with my dolls. Then I came to live in your house (pg ). Nora finally realizes the importance placed on their appearance in society by her husband is not more important than her own happiness and personal identity. In her feminine dollhouse she fulfilled her role that society assigned to women and this negatively impacted her personal identity as she continuously conformed to societal standards pertaining to women. The dollhouse symbol portrays how unreliable appearances are and how women sacrifice their personal identity and self-discovery to conform to gender standards assigned by society. Nora develops her identity throughout the play which can be seen through the dollhouse symbolism. In the beginning of the play Nora gives her children toys, specifically giving her daughter a doll: and a doll and a dollyrs bedstead for Emmy,they are very plain, but anyway she will soon break them in pieces (pg ). This is interesting as Nora seems to resent the control exerted over her by the men in her life but giving her daughter a doll suggests that she is raising her daughter to conform to the life that Nora is dissatisfied by and her mentioning Emmy breaking the toys foreshadows future events. In Act 3, the male dominant society in which men seek to benefit themselves while neglecting their wives is seen when Torvald says he will change to which Nora replies that he will only change if his doll was taken away. The feminine attributes of the dollhouse show that Nora desires to leave her husband but cant because she feels compelled to conform to her role in society. Another significant object assigned masculine attributes instead is the letterbox which causes Nora to want to break out of her role as a woman and instead discover her own identity and the letterbox clearly defines male and female roles. The letterbox is assigned masculine attributes as in A Dolls House, the letterbox is a source of secrecy and only Torvald having access to the letterbox, as only he holds the key, showcases his societal role as a controlling husband: Torvald: Someone has been at the lock. What can it mean? I should never have thought the maid here is a broken hairpin. Nora, it is one of yours. Nora: Then it must have been the children (pg 60). The masculine attributes of the letterbox causes Nora to begin to develop her own identity and not conform to her role in society. Instead of staying in her dollhouse she attempts to find her freedom, her freedom being locked in the letterbox and Torvald is the only one who has access to the locked letterbox, symbolizing his control over the whole house. Specifically discussing the letters in the letterbox, they symbolize the truths that the characters cannot get away from as once someone sends a letter, it cannot be taken back.

The Allegory Of The Double Standard - 1531 Words

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The Work of Art Selected by David Wojnoawric - 509 Words

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Russians And Bosnians Essay Research Paper Example For Students

Russians And Bosnians Essay Research Paper Russians and Bosnians Historically and politically, the Bosnians and the Russians are a perfect match.This history started in the middle of the first thousand years A.D. when the tribes called the Southern Slavs migrated into the southeast area of Europe known as the Balkans. The Slav people as they are known, were separated from the Northern Slavs, that is, related Slavs in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Russia, by the non-slavic tribes that settled the lands of Austria and Hungary. The Bosnians original ancestors were the Southern Slavs. They raided areas throught the Balkans including what is now modern day Serbia.This tribe eventually split up, mostly for religious and political reasons but also because the geography of the region is such that large groups of Slavs became separated and isolated from one another because of the difficult terrain. When religion came to the Balkans, where you were physically had as much to do with what religion you grew up with as other reasons. The Ser bs who were closest to the Byzantine Empire geographically, took up the Eastern Orthodox Religion. The peoples in what is now Croatia, Slovinia and Bosina were infuenced by Rome and took up Roman Catholicisim. However, the Bosnians, who were alwasys being threathned politically by the Orthodox Christian Serbs as well as their Roman Catholic neighbors, by the fifteenth century had made apolitical decision to align themselves with the rising power of the Ottoman Empire, and converted to Islam. Russia, the country where most of the Southern Slavs came from had accepted the Eastern Orthodox religion at around the time the Serbs did. This religious bond between Russians and Serbs was very strong and the two groups supported one another for virtually their entire history up to and including modern times. The Serbs supported the Russians in almost all their wars and helped the Russians gain control of part of the Eastern Mediterraen from the Turks. This is why the Russians are deeply inter ested in this area and feel they have a special role to play in the current conflict. The Balkans are the reason that World War I had started. The Serbs of 1914 was as determined then, as they were for centuries, of preserving their independence in the Balkans. Awider war in the Balkans could risk the security of Europe, and possibly draw Moslen nations into the war. On a more imeadiate level, the reasonfor peace in Bosnia is so urgent is because cities, roads, bridges, have been destroyed in the conflict. A good example of this is Sarajevo, ( a major muslim city) that was known for its cultural mixture. It was the site of the 1988 winter olympics which welcomed hunreds of atlethes from all over the globe. The city is on the Bosinian-Serb border and has been shelled by both sides in the war. However, a far more important reason is to prevent this local war from starting a wider confrontation that would risk the security of Europe, and possibly draw in Moslem nations to support the Muslims in Bosnia. Russian soldiers are going to be among the troops keeping peace in Sarajevo as well as in other towns in Bosnia. The rusians are trying to improve relations with the U. S. and are doing so by working with the U.S. on keeping peace in the Balkans. Both President Yeltsin of Russia and Clinton Of the U.S., have met several times over this issue. They decide that a good way to improve rlations betwen the two countries. Part of the debate over rusiantroopsbetwen Russia and the U.S. was who mwould command the Russsian troops if they were sent. The Russians did not want teir troops under a NATO command because they thought that Nato was anti- Russian. Another topic of their debate was where were the Russian troops to be deployed. The russians wnated to be deployed in Bosnian Serb teritory, and theU.S. wanted them deployed in Bosnian Croat territory. Finally an agreement was reached. The Russians would send fifteenhundred troops to Bosnia. They were scheduled to arrive in mid-December 1995. Both sides agreed that the Russian troops would report to their own commander, General Leonti P. Shetsov. Shetsov had worked with Nato in the past as well as the U.S. military and was sen as a good fit. He however would still be technically under Nato command as it is Nato that is overseeing the operation. Further the Russians are contributing troops to an international brigage that would include troops from France, the U.S. and other countries. After much debate it was agreed that the Russians would be deployed in the corridor that separates eastern and western parts of Serbian controlled Bosnia. In total close to fourthousand Russian troops will eventually be in Bosnia. 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