Use of Imagery in A Doll

Imagery symbolically guides the process of self-emancipation for Nora, the protagonist of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Objects like the macaroons, the lamp, the Christmas tree, and costumes represent the movement towards freedom of a woman who was a victim of society. Ibsen painted Nora as a youthful and lovely creature who was brought through life treated as a plaything by both her father and then her husband, Torvald. She must break society's unwritten …

…more significantly, Nora was able to overcome her place as a toy doll in her own household. Though Nora's logic is based on her misconceptions, ideals, and dreams, it is Torvald who's overboard and high-minded morality crumbles to petty selfishness in a crisis. Ibsen deals with women's liberation and self-emancipation by showing the characters' internal aspects through images. The refined furnishings of Torvald and Nora's home are reflections of their roles, marriage, and ultimate separation.