THE DOLL’S

HOUSE
(Recap and
Processing)
Plot Development: Freytag’s Pyramid
Symbolisms Defined
Symbolism is the use of words or images to symbolize
specific concepts, people, objects, or events. The key
here is that the symbols used aren't literal
representations, but figurative or implied ones.
Symbolisms
The Doll’s House

The doll’s house itself is a symbol of the Burnell

family’s societal position.
Symbolisms
The Lamp

The miniature oil lamp symbolizes the ideas of connection and

inclusivity.

The lamp lacks the extravagance of the rest of the house and is a
small, almost mundane feature, yet it caught Kezia’s attention.

Light symbolizes hope.

Symbolisms
The White Gates

The gates are a symbol of the Burnell’s class

superiority, physically separating them from poor
outsiders.
Theme Defined

A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a

writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work.
The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters,
setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these
elements.
On Insiders, Outsiders, and Class
The characters in The Doll’s House are clearly divided into two groups: the
popular, wealthier insiders who are free to associate with one another, and the
poor outsiders who are shunned by the rest of society. The Burnells and their
friends are definitely “in”: they wear the right clothes, eat the right sandwiches at
lunch, and have the right parents. The richest girls in school, the Burnell sisters
are at the center of its social life. Since they “set the fashion in all matters of
behaviour,” the other girls copy what they do. And because the Burnells are told
by their parents not to speak with the Kelveys, all the other little girls avoid them
too. Even the school’s teacher follows the Burnells’ lead, using a “special
voice”—implied to be condescending or patronizing—to address Lil
Kelvey when she brings her “common-looking flowers.”
On Innocence and Cruelty
While The Doll’s House mostly focuses on the interactions between young girls
with one another, it is not simply a story about how children behave. These girls are,
in many ways, simply representations of the society in which they are being raised,
and their behavior reflects what their parents and elders have taught them. Tellingly,
the older characters prove more rigid in their upholding of society’s rules. In
contrast, the youngest characters are the only ones willing to disregard harsh
dictates of social etiquette. Mansfield suggests, then, that class-consciousness and
prejudice are not innate but rather passed down from one generation to the next.
On Talking vs. Silence
Language has a destructive and deceptive power, too (specifically whe it’s used
to negative reasons like gossiping, etc.)

Silence can often reveal more truth than speech.

“The Kelveys never failed to understand each other”-- Mansfield

References
MasterClass. (2021, August 20). Complete Guide to Literary Themes: definition, examples, and how to create
literary themes in your writing - 2023 - MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-complete-guide-
to-narrative-theme-in-literature-definition-examples-and-writing-how-to

The Doll’s House Quotes | Explanations with Page Numbers | LitCharts. (n.d.). LitCharts.
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-doll-s-house/quotes

What is symbolism? Examples of symbolism as a literary device. (2022, June 6). What Is Symbolism as a
Literary Device? | Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/symbolism/#:~:text=What%20is
%20symbolism%3F-,Symbolism%20is%20the%20use%20of%20words%20or%20images%20to
%20symbolize,with%20imagery%20of%20a%20butterfly.