Semiotic Analysis of “A Doll’s House” by H. Ibsen

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Nora’s Costume and Dance
Christmas Tree
Mr. Rank’s Illness
Food
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Semiotic analysis allows people to consider literature works through the prism of symbols. What the average reader might overlook is crucial to the semiotician. In the work of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, there are a lot of such symbols: some are more noticeable, and some are less. These symbols reflect the relationship between Nora and Torvald, social mores and roles. The most interesting symbols are Nora’s clothes, in particular, her party costume, Nora’s dance, and the Christmas tree; Mr. Rank’s back pain and macarons are significant symbols in the narrative.

The Helmer family consists of three children and spouses, Nora and Torvald. Henrik Ibsen focuses on the relationship between the spouses and Nora’s subordinate position. Torvald is a rigid patriarchal husband who often behaves arrogantly, worrying about his reputation. Nora protects his reputation by being a devoted wife, fulfilling his whims. Secretly from her husband, Nora works part-time to cover the debt taken for his treatment. She forged her father’s signature, and now the Krogstad borrower is asking her to return the money with interest. Nora’s friend, Frau Linde, helps her; she agrees to marry Krogstad, who has feelings for her. Mr. Rank, her friend, is also willing to help her with the money she needs. However, Krogstad is unable to stop the already-sent letter for Thorvald, and Thorvald is furious when he sees the truth. After talking with Krogstad, having learned that there are no complaints, he is happy again, but Nora is disappointed since Torvald accused her. Nora makes the decision to leave her family in an unknown direction.

Nora’s Costume and Dance

An elegant costume symbolizes a mask; it signifies the triumph of pretense. It is noteworthy that Torvald chooses a costume for Nora: “I must think about your costume” (Ibsen 39). Torvald decides for her what role to play; even in the space of fantasy, Nora cannot be independent, and Torvald’s paternalistic influence reaches this sphere. Torvald chooses a bright Italian costume for his wife and continues to treat her like a doll: “Helmer brings Nora almost by force into the hall” (Ibsen 57). He comes with Nora to a party where she will have to dance for him.

Nora dances the Tarantella, and semiotic analysis should be applied both to the Tarantella and to the dance as a whole. Before the party, she tells Mr. Rank that she is going to dance for Torvald. In general, the semiotics of dance usually refers to ritual: hence the paternalistic attitude, completely dependent on traditions. Sometimes, dance can be interpreted as elusiveness and transience, and it will also make sense in the work’s context (Gardner). Soon, Nora will leave her husband, slip away from him, and he will not be able to keep her. Meanwhile, her husband fantasizes about her as a Capri girl, which echoes psychoanalytic ideas that a woman, in the simplest male mythology, looks like a male fantasy. Nora speaks directly about her husband’s fantasies, which she is about to reflect: “Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher-girl and dance the Tarantella that I learned at Capri” (Ibsen 35). A man needs a fantasy about a woman, not a woman as an alive person.

Each dance has specific symbolism, and Tarantella is no exception. Tarantella is based on light and teasing movements, depicting seduction; quick steps and flips depict playfulness and gaiety. As the Capri girl, Nora portrays a child, a naive teenage girl who flirts with her husband while he stands imposingly. As in the rhythms of Tarantella, Nora later slips away from her husband quickly and unexpectedly.

Christmas Tree

A beautiful Christmas tree has symbols of the family hearth and, at the same time, Nora’s position as a beautiful accessory for her husband. The husband dresses Nora up like a Christmas tree; he puts the tree anywhere he wants. Nora is in an intermediate position between a man and a tree, decorating the tree and allowing her husband to such behavior. She is busy: “A candle here and flowers here”, it is her household (Ibsen 33). Nora is an object in men’s hands like a Christmas tree is an object in her hands.

Mr. Rank’s Illness

Mr. Rank suffers from a serious illness, tuberculosis of the spine. He is a gentle person; Mr. Rank can sacrifice himself for other people: “My poor innocent spine has to suffer for my father’s youthful amusements” (Ibsen 46). His illness symbolically reflects the weakness of public mores; the spine is the basis of the human supporting apparatus. Back injury always affects the quality of life, and here, the spine is the backbone of society, its foundation.

Food

Another symbol, rarely considered by other analysts, is food, in particular macarons, on which Torvald imposed a prohibition on his wife. He checks the spouse’s food habits and imposes bans on what he considers important: “Not even taken a bite at a macaroon or two?” (Ibsen 29). He hides behind concern for her health; macarons are only a trifle compared to what the wife disguises from Torvald (she secretly eats them). The macarons symbolize Torvald’s all-encompassing and totalitarian control and, at the same time, Nora’s secret.

Conclusion

The considered symbols reflect social mores and the positions of family members. Nora’s costume and dance reflect her life for the sake of her husband, her objectification. The Christmas tree symbolizes the family heart and the subordinate position of the spouse. Mr. Rank’s illness symbolizes social decline and doubts about the foundations. An insignificant symbol, it would seem, macarons mean the total control of Torvald, which has no boundaries and at the same time, the secrets of Nora.

Works Cited

Gardner, Janet, et al. Literature: A Portable Anthology. Fifth, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2021.

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2020.

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