Sample Introductions
(A Doll’s House)
Moving from the Known to the Unknown:
A.
Success is a relative term. Although modern audiences may have a strong sense of
success, they may not realize its 19th century Norwegian connotation. For women in this
setting, success meant being a devoted wife and mother, managing a comfortable
household. Nora Helmer, the main character of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is clearly
successful by 19th century standards. But Nora is successful in another respect. She has
suppressed a deep, dark secret that could destroy her marriage. In spite of all her efforts
to reject her past, however, the introduction of new characters and situations makes
maintaining this secret impossibility. With Ibsen’s creation of the characters of Nils
Krogstaad and Mrs. Linde, Nora’s efforts to hide her past are circumvented. The conflict
presented by these characters provides most of the action in A Doll’s House. More
important, though, is Nora’s realization that she can no longer live in her husband’s
repressive environment.
B.
Often friends can help sort out our problems, either by providing advice or setting an
example. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House Nora Helmer’s life changes dramatically
when an old friend returns to indirectly remind Nora how independent she has become.
In her discussions with Mrs. Linde, Nora suddenly realizes that her life has been an act;
she is pretending to be happy, to be in love—but she is not. As Nora’s confidante, Mrs.
Linde helps her “see” the folly of her life.
Using an Important Quotation
“Torvald, I realized that for eight years I’d been living here with a strong man, and that
I’d borne him three children.” With these words, Nora Helmer experiences her
monumental epiphany in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Indeed, Nora’s world is a
world of strangeness and emotional detachment-a product of her husband and society’s
expectations of what a wife and mother should be. Ibsen devises this distorted dollhouse
setting as a vehicle for his progressive (by 19th century Norwegian standards) feminist
ideas. Through a carefully crafted portrayal of Nora Helmer’s distorted world and her
realization of it, Henrik Ibsen shows us how a good person can become entrapped in a
prison of her own design.
Providing an Historical Context
When Henrik Ibsen first presented A Doll’s House to Norwegian audiences in 1879, little
did he realize the level of public outcry that would soon follow. Critics denounced the
work as "immoral” and took offense at Nora’s decision to leave her husband and children
at the end of the play. Many spectators might have preferred Nora to persevere and
tolerate her unfulfilled life – performing as a doll would. Throughout most of the play,
Nora conforms to her society, her husband, and her children. But when that conformity
suddenly loses its luster, Nora makes the only decision she can live with: in order to
achieve the independence she never had, she must leave. Not only do Nora’s actions
conflict with the expectations of her culture, but they may not resonate with a modern
audience.
Making a Generalization
Nora Helmer, in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, is an enigmatic character. At time, she
is a devoted mother and wife, content to run her comfortable Norwegian household of the
19th Century; at other times, a scatterbrained, bound woman who performs ridiculous
stunts to appease her children and entertain her husband. It is during these ridiculous
moments that the play’s title becomes clear. Even though the audience may be amused at
Nora’s antics, even to the point of laughter, it is still troubled by the root of her behavior.
Ibsen presents us with these seemingly paradoxical feelings towards Nora’s character,
producing a “healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude.”
Asking the Reader to Speculate
Imagine a life of entrapment, living in a household where your sole existence is simply to
please others. Nora Helmer, In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, lives this existence –
until she realizes the absurdity of her life. Even before her realization, however, Nora
senses an inner conflict. Throughout her married life, she has performed as a doll in a
doll’s house – which seems to cause her much anxiety. Only when Nora becomes aware
of her niche in the world does the outward conflict develop, which becomes the impetus
for the remainder of the play.
INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
INFORMATIVE CONTENT
RELEVANT AND COHERENT CONTENT
INTERESTING CONTENT
Suggestions for Beginning: Your thesis (focus) should guide your choice.
From life experience to literary experience
From general idea (philosophical, psychological, theme) to author’s view on that idea
Begin with an overview (Be careful not fall into pure plot summary. Be selective with
the details. Choose only points that are relevant to the thesis).
Beginning with a quotation ( from author, the work, or a source outside the work that
relates thematically to your paper)
Begin with a definition – Avoid dictionary definitions and common literary terms such as
metaphor, simile, etc.
Begin with background of author or work – Be careful to choose only details that will be
relevant to your thesis. If you have a bit of interesting biographical information that
doesn’t fit in your paper, this may be the place to put it in order to catch the reader’s
interest. This technique, however, is dangerous, as writers can fall into needless padding.
Begin with the literary history or tradition of the work – Examples: carpe diem,
romanticism, gothic, sustained allusion, etc.
Style/Literary Techniques – Examples: stream of conscious, stereotypical
characterization, setting, etc.
Begin with a critical stance – Examples: Psychological (Freud, Jung), Marxist (societal),
Feminist (also societal).
CONCLUSIONS:
Two types of conclusions: Evaluative and Speculative
Evaluative conclusions: Personal, Thematic, Artistic, or Historic
Prewriting Questions:
Personal – Do you like it? Why?
Artistic Merit – Is it well done?
Thematic Merit – Does it contribute anything new to the world of ideas.
Historical - What is the connection between the work and history?
Speculative: What happens beyond the conclusion? Risky to write. Must be grounded
solidly in the text.