I have chosen to compare Ibsen’s a Doll’s House, with Oscar Wilde’s a picture of Dorian Gray, owing

to the comparable time period and the way that both Dorian and Helmer both feel obligated to
maintain a certain social façade, in Dorian’s case it is his physical appearance and he sold his soul to
maintain it, whereas Helmer would rather have died than have gone into debt.

The way in which Nora seeks warmth in her life, (symbolised by the way she continuously returns to
the stove), can be compared to way that Dorian longs for affection, yet both are pushed towards
callous characters, Helmer and Henry respectively.