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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Act One
Explanation and Analysis—My Little Sky-Lark:
A few times throughout the play, Torvald metaphorically compares Nora to various small animals, thus highlighting his perception that she too is small, delicate, in need of protection, and more of a pet or a possession than an actual living, breathing human adult. The first of these metaphorical pet names occurs on the very first page of the play:
Is that my little sky-lark chirruping out there? [...] Is that my little squirrel frisking about? [...] When did my little squirrel get home?
It is significant that Torvald’s words in the passage above are his very first lines of dialogue in A Doll’s House. While he means these terms to be endearing, they reveal how little he actually regards Nora as a serious adult with serious feelings. By comparing her voice to the twittering of birdsong and her chores and daily activities to mere “frisking about,” Torvald casually and unthinkingly demeans both Nora and the labor she does as a wife and mother.
Nora internalizes the hidden messaging in Torvald’s words and even refers to herself using his language when she tries to convince him to help Krogstad in Act 2:
If a little squirrel were to ask ever so nicely…? [...] And the pretty little sky-lark would sing all day long…
Although this line of attempted manipulation doesn’t work, Nora’s adoption of Torvald’s play-language reveals the extent to which her life as his wife has become the mere performance of a role rather than a genuine partnership. Her inability to communicate with her husband without using his cute, patronizing metaphors is yet another sign that their marriage is doomed.
Related Themes:
Act Two
Explanation and Analysis—My Little Sky-Lark:
A few times throughout the play, Torvald metaphorically compares Nora to various small animals, thus highlighting his perception that she too is small, delicate, in need of protection, and more of a pet or a possession than an actual living, breathing human adult. The first of these metaphorical pet names occurs on the very first page of the play:
Is that my little sky-lark chirruping out there? [...] Is that my little squirrel frisking about? [...] When did my little squirrel get home?
It is significant that Torvald’s words in the passage above are his very first lines of dialogue in A Doll’s House. While he means these terms to be endearing, they reveal how little he actually regards Nora as a serious adult with serious feelings. By comparing her voice to the twittering of birdsong and her chores and daily activities to mere “frisking about,” Torvald casually and unthinkingly demeans both Nora and the labor she does as a wife and mother.
Nora internalizes the hidden messaging in Torvald’s words and even refers to herself using his language when she tries to convince him to help Krogstad in Act 2:
If a little squirrel were to ask ever so nicely…? [...] And the pretty little sky-lark would sing all day long…
Although this line of attempted manipulation doesn’t work, Nora’s adoption of Torvald’s play-language reveals the extent to which her life as his wife has become the mere performance of a role rather than a genuine partnership. Her inability to communicate with her husband without using his cute, patronizing metaphors is yet another sign that their marriage is doomed.
Related Themes:
Act Three
Explanation and Analysis—Under Torvald's Wing:
In Act Three, following the discovery of the IOU letter, Torvald tries to calm Nora down and win back her affections after blatantly turning against her. As he does so, he returns to his metaphorical pet names, this time in a much more deliberate, conscious, and manipulative manner:
You try and get some rest, and set your mind at peace again, my frightened little song-bird. Have a good long sleep; you know you are safe and sound under my wing. […] What a nice, cosy little home we have here, Nora! Here you can find refuge. Here I shall hold you like a hunted dove I have rescued unscathed from the cruel talons of the hawk, and calm your poor beating heart.
It is interesting to note that, in a departure from earlier instances in the play when the use of pet names were only made in reference to Nora, in this scene Torvald also includes himself in the metaphor. Referring to himself as both a bird whose protective wing may provide refuge and as the rescuer of a hunted dove from a hawk, Torvald uses this metaphorical language to highlight his masculine size and power. With this adaptation of the metaphor, Torvald attempts to manipulate Nora into compliance by patronizing her and using fearmongering by implying she may only find peace and safety under his care.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A Dark Cloud:
Torvald’s metaphorical assertion in Act Three that Dr. Rank’s pain and loneliness was akin to dark clouds that make the sunshine appear brighter and more desirable is deeply revelatory of how he views his marriage to Nora:
His suffering and his loneliness seemed almost to provide a background of dark cloud to the sunshine of our lives. Well, l perhaps its all for the best. For him at any rate. [Pauses.] And maybe for us as well, Nora.
As the passage above illustrates, Torvald has relied on an example of sadness—Dr. Rank— to remind him of the good things in his life. This demonstrates that he has taken his relationship with Nora and his social position for granted. Torvald’s selfish lack of care for the suffering of his supposed friend is also apparent in the callous manner in which he makes this metaphor.
Nora’s decision to leave her husband proves that Torvald’s metaphor is accurate, though perhaps not in the way he intended. His statement that Dr. Rank’s illness may be for the best, not only for him but for Torvald and Nora as well, ends up being ironic, as without the man’s dark cloud-like presence hovering over their lives as a warning, it soon becomes apparent that the sunshine of their marriage is not nearly as bright as Torvald once assumed.
Related Themes:
