Symbols and Conflict in a Doll's House Symbolism is commonly used in literature to reveal a deeper meaning through something indirectly. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, symbolism is “the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by visible or sensuous representations” (“Symbolism”). From colors and emotions, like red and romance, to animals, like doves and peace, symbols improve readers' understanding of the text and create an overall better story. Symbolism gives the writer the freedom to add double levels of meaning to his work: a literal one that is obvious and the symbolic one whose meaning is much deeper than the literal one. Symbolism, therefore, gives universality to the characters and themes of a literary work (“Literary Devices.”). In the text A Doll's House, the author, Hendrik Ibsen, uses the symbols of macaroons, tarantella and money to reveal controversial topics between Nora and Torvad. Some say that children always have one very delicious thing on their mind, sweets! Amaretti are “a flourless biscuit made from egg white. Most often made with coconut...may also include walnuts or nut paste. Macaroons are often served as a dessert during Easter celebrations, as they contain no flour” (“What is the Difference Between a Macaroon and a Macaron?”). Nora throughout the play lies to Torvald about different things. The first lie the reader might notice is the macaroons at the beginning of the play, which seems innocent considering the lie is about the cookies but symbolizes a much bigger problem in their marriage. This immediately shows the reader how much Nora is willing to lie to Torvald and... middle of paper... about money, macaroons and the tarantella in Hendrik Ibsen's A Doll's House causes conflict between Nora and Torvald. Works Cited Baumeister, Roy F. "Cultural Animal." Why is money important? The psychological meaning of money. Np, 18 June 2008. Web. March 2014. .Ibsen, Henrik. A doll's house. Trans. Nicola Rudall. Chicago: I. R. Dee, 1999. Print."Literary Devices." Literary devices. Np, nd Web. March 2014. “Symbolism.” Merriam Webster. Merriam-Webster and Web. March 2014. "What is the difference between a macaroon and a macaron?" Chow Chow's blog. Np, nd Web. March 2014. http://www.chow.com/food-news/55519/whats-the-difference-between-a-macaroon-and-a-macaron/