A Doll's House and Frankenstein: A Literary Comparison
This paper compares Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), two landmark works of fiction from different literary movements. The essay begins with plot summaries and biographical context for each author before drawing thematic parallels between the two texts. Key areas of comparison include the role of women in society, parental and filial obligation, and the unreliability of appearances. The paper argues that both works expose and critique social hypocrisy — Ibsen directly through Nora Helmer's rebellion against a suffocating marriage, and Shelley indirectly through Frankenstein's creature, who is rejected and misunderstood by the very society that shaped him.
- Introduction to Ibsen and A Doll's House: Plot, characters, and realist context of the play
- Overview of Shelley's Frankenstein: Plot, characters, and biographical background of Shelley
- Comparing the Two Works and Their Authors: Key similarities and differences between both texts
- The Role of Women in Society: Female dependency and sacrifice in both works
- Parental and Filial Obligation: Parent-child dynamics in Nora's marriage and Frankenstein
- The Unreliability of Appearances: False surfaces hiding deeper truths in both texts
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper moves systematically from individual plot summaries to direct thematic comparison, giving readers a clear foundation before the analysis begins.
- Parallel character pairings — Nora and the creature, Torvald and Victor Frankenstein — are used consistently to anchor abstract thematic claims in textual evidence.
- The contrast between Ibsen's frank social realism and Shelley's indirect Gothic allegory is sustained throughout, showing awareness of how literary form shapes meaning.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a point-by-point thematic structure for its comparative analysis, identifying shared themes (women's roles, parental obligation, deceptive appearances) and then showing how each work treats those themes differently. This method allows the writer to argue for both similarity and contrast without losing focus.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with an introduction to Ibsen and a plot summary of A Doll's House, then shifts to Frankenstein with a similar overview and biographical background on Shelley. A transitional comparison paragraph bridges both texts before three body sections develop distinct shared themes. A brief bibliography closes the paper. The structure is largely expository with analytical commentary woven into each section.
Introduction to Ibsen and A Doll's House
Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879) became a landmark of realism, the prevalent genre of theater during Ibsen's time. Realism is the literary movement that strives to portray life as it truly is, with accuracy, and avoids idealizing it. A Doll's House is a modern prose drama that established Ibsen's reputation as a major Norwegian dramatist. He used themes and structures drawn from classical tragedy to write about ordinary people while expressing his concern for women's rights and human rights more broadly. Ibsen believed that husbands and wives must live together as equals and be free to become their own selves. His unconventional treatment of marriage earned him the disapproval of critics, and this unpopularity drove him out of Oslo to live in Italy and Germany for the next 27 years.
A Doll's House is a sad, serious, and intense modern prose drama centered on Nora Helmer's struggle to keep her secret — that she illegally borrowed money — from her husband, Torvald. She attempts to do this by preventing Krogstad, a bank employee who knows about the loan, from revealing it. Meanwhile, Torvald wants to dismiss Krogstad because of his poor reputation at the bank. Krogstad coerces Nora to stop her husband from firing him, threatening to expose her illegal borrowing if she does not. Despite Nora's efforts, Torvald eventually learns her secret and accuses her of being a hypocrite, a liar, and the destroyer of his happiness. He withdraws his accusation, however, upon receiving the forged contract related to her borrowing. But by then, Nora has been shaken too deeply to recover. She finally confronts her true conflict — against her husband's selfish and oppressive behavior and against the society to which he belongs. She tells him that, despite their eight years of marriage, they have never truly understood each other, and that she is tired of being treated like a doll, a mere object of his delight and admiration. She decides to find herself, and to that end she leaves her husband and children.
Supporting the household inhabited by Nora and Torvald are Nora's childhood friend Kristine Linde and Torvald's best friend Dr. Rank. Kristine Linde is not only the keeper of Nora's secret, but her poverty also provides a sharp contrast to Nora's comfortable and pampered life. Dr. Rank, unlike the other characters, is unconcerned with what others think of him and speaks freely about his "diseased nature" and his affection for Nora.
Bibliography
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House (1879). Dover Thrift Editions. Paperback, February 21, 1992.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein (1818). Bantam Classics. Mass Market Paperback, June 1, 1984.
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