A main character, Torvald, in the play A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen could be viewed as a morally ambiguous character. He displays the character traits of a morally ambiguous person. Torvald’s personal consumption of appearances shows how he treats his wife and home and personal pride. Torvald’s wife Nora is the center of several of the traits that classify him as a morally ambiguous character. Nora is more like a possession to Torvald than a soul mate or wife. She is like a doll to him, something that he can control and shape into what he wants. Nora is treated like a child and as if she can not function a second without him to be there to tell her what to do. Her dependency on him is extremely important to him because that is …show more content…
With this she makes the decision to leave and request him never to talk to her again. Torvald’s life was based upon what he felt was right in society. HE cared so greatly what the world would think of him rather than the true thought of being a family. He could not determine what a real life was because he only lived his life upon other expectations. The play’s character Torvald shows moral ambiguity clearly through the life he lives and the true home life that resulted from his
The attitude Torvald has towards his wife, Nora, throughout the play almost makes it seem as though he is constantly judging her for her actions without telling her how he truly feels. As any married couple should know, “lack of communication is a prime cause for divorce” (Perry). He does not express his concerns in a mature manner but instead he talks to her like she does not know any better for the little things she has done. For instance, when she mentions that she is not allowed to have the macaroons because of Torvald, this shows that he has a way of controlling her. It continues by him calling her names such as song bird, squirrel, spendthrift, or skylark. He also has no trust for her. He shows this by mentioning her actions in regards to spending money. “You always find some new way of wheedling money out of me, and, as soon as you have got it, it seems to melt in your hands” (Ibsen “A Doll’s House” 930). With this lack of trust, they simply could not thrive and last nearly as long as they may have once thought. Marriage does not bind people if they cannot find the truth in one
Nora was just the toy in their marriage. Nora was just like the Christmas tree, an ornament that charmed others. She must always be on watch with her behavior, as it could ruin Torvald’s image. When Torvald becomes sick, Nora paid it. However it was just a loan and now she must pay the money back. Nora must keep it a secret though because if Torvald finds out about it, he would be infuriated. It would ruin their marriage and drastically destroy it. Torvald cannot accept the fact that his wife, a woman, helped him. Furthermore, it is illegal for a wife to obtain a loan without the consent of her husband. This shows the power of Torvald over Nora or the power of men over women. In the end their marriage or bond was broken. . However, it was ironic in the end as the lies, that Nora created, did destroy their marriage but not in the way we would expect. Torvald did think about ending it but when he saw that the signature that Nora forged was handed back to them, Torvald calmed down. “His behavior makes Nora realize that, in their eight years of marriage, he has never looked on her as a human being but only as a doll, and she leaves him in order to learn to become a person in her own right” (Doll’s House). Nora finally severed all ties with him.
Nora also receives the command from her husband that she should “...make your mind at ease again, my frightened little singing bird. Be at/ rest and feel secure; I have broad wings to shelter you under”(3. 1. 543-544). After showing his whimpering self at realizing that society might find out that he owes his wife, he then receives a note promising not to reveal the truth. Torvald reacts with happiness and pretends that he did not just hurt his wife. His wife does not let this go as he rants with sexist remarks bluffing about his strengths. The pride Torvald has as a man makes him discriminate against women and what they stand for showing making the break up within this family. Also in The House on Mango Street, one of the protagonist's friends must take care of their family because she is the eldest daughter but this has only made her hope for a man to get out of here since all she has learned is that men are superior to her. This shows how dominance of a family member can make other family members want to leave, therefore breaking the family
The themes of “objecthood” and “feminine liberation” in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House as conveyed through the characterization of Torvald and Nora, diction, stage directions and structure in two integral scenes.
“A Doll’s House” was a play which forced its audience to question the gender roles constructed by society. Torvald is a typical husband of the story time period. He tries to control his wife and expects her to
Torvald treats his wife irrationally, as he places himself above her. He calls her names that make her seem small, such as “helpless little creature” (Isben 589) and “child.” (590). Nora is submissive to his dominant commands, and obeys him, possibly because she is fearful of losing him or her life. Krogstad, though, has the upper hand due to the financial loan and debt that Nora has withheld from her husband. Krogstad blackmails Nora with a letter that he threatens to give her husband if she does not fix his problems with Torvald. Nora feels obligated to both men, for the welfare of herself and her family to do as they say. Of course, with an excessive amount of power comes conflict.
Torvald represents everything that is keeping Nora at bay. He provided Nora security, at the cost of her independence because he shielded her from society. This means that to Nora, Torvald basically represented society, including all community and legal ethics, and everything else from the outside world that she had no knowledge about. Torvald cared about doing what was right in the eyes of society. This is evident when he asked Nora to live with him rather than leave him to keep their reputation in check. Torvald was Nora’s sense of security, having rules laid out for her to keep her “safe’ that guided Nora throughout their marriage. Torvald gave her no more knowledge than she needed to know about the outside world except of what she wasn’t aloud to do, as her job was to watch over the kids. Torvald treated Nora exactly as her father did when she was young, like a little doll to take care of, “I was your little songbird just as before- your doll whom henceforth you would take particular care to protect from the world because she was so weak and fragile.” This frustrated Nora, the overwhelming security she felt throughout the first thirty years of her life. Being kept on a strict leash for so long led her to begin questioning what else could be out there for her. She felt dehumanized by her husband, and didn’t even see a real relationship with him. Torvald never spoke to Nora about anything real, with the exception of the rules he felt he had to give her, and when he wanted her to pleasure him. “Does it not occur to you that this is the first time we two have had a serious conversation?” She realized she couldn’t talk to her husband about anything valuable, as she wasn’t valuable as an individual to him to him except as a toy. Her marriage, and overbearing security left Nora no room for growth in her relationship nor as a
Moreover, this shift in power towards the end signifies a major disempowerment to Torvald because he is then forced to beg her to stay with him (Ibsen 1803). However, his wife is too far gone from his reach to be swayed by his attempts at begging and- later- force. This is significant to witness because it highlights the fact that Torvald is no longer able to keep control over a woman he has controlled for eight years of their relationship- the entirety of their marriage. In addition, this illustrates her increased power because she has lowered his worth in their relationship- that has become non-existent. Scholars say that Nora’s departure is accompanied with despair (Gelber 360). This is especially true in regard to Torvald; in fact, it illustrates that Torvald’s character is far more dependent upon his wife than she was of
The exposure of Torvald's behavior/attitude towards Nora and his exploitation of what the world would call his "soulmate" is not only the exposure of a particular man's mind and culture. It is meant to expose the emptiness in the hearts of many people who can be associated with Torvald. In other words, those who thrive off of the sense of superiority over their partner. The events of the drama paint a very realistic picture. Said picture being one that illustrates a controlling partner dominating the life and relationship of a love blinded
I agree with Susanna Rusting statement about the central dilemma in Ibsen's A Doll's House, and that is to be true to yourself and not to live a shallow life thinking that all is well when is not. In a Doll’s House, Nora is represented as a doll. Suggesting that she is fake and someone that can be easily manipulated. Torvald lives a superficial life as well, because he always talks to Nora as if she is the reason of his happiness and seems so approving of everything she does; in addition, he appears to be easily persuaded by Nora’s requests. When in a normal marriage there is always discussion and disagreements.
Torvald only sees his wife as his most prized possession and trophy wife. Nora has no identity of her own and is never taken seriously by her husband. Nora acts on command and is often humiliated by being treated as a child instead of a woman. Torvald has instilled in her that she is only strong because she is dependent on him and without him, she cannot function in everyday life. Nora is so controlled by Torvald that she does not indulge in sweets because he wants her pretty teeth to stay white.
It seems that Nora has had enough of Torvald’s rude and selfish remarks such as telling guests in their home that she can be “terribly stubborn” or insulting Nora’s father saying that he has a “lack of total principle” because he assumes that Nora’s character is based off of the characteristics of her father. Furthermore, he goes farther with his comments saying, “ You will remain here in my house. That is taken for granted. But you will not be allowed to raise the children. I could not trust you with them.” or, “You must rely on me. I will advise you and give you directions. I wouldn’t be a man if this female helplessness didn’t make you twice as attractive to me." I do not think there is another person who has not had enough of Torvald’s criticism towards Nora. He seems to believe that whatever comes out of his mouth is true, and in the end with Nora replying with, ““Everything you do is right, Torvald." without consideration. However, later on in this act Nora finally stands up to Torvald. In realization she says to Torvald, ““The whole reason for my existence was to perform tricks for you, Torvald. But that’s what you wanted...It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.” She finally recognizes the manipulation Torvald has done throughout her life. Additonally she says, “I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was Papa’s doll-child; and in this house the children have
As a cast, the actors’ company came together to create a history for the characters. This was a lot of work on back history, timeline, a complete biography with full list of events. Then the actors looked at all the aspects of their characters’ lives -- romantic, banking/professional, family, and the structure of their lives. Using the historical time period and careers of Torvald, Dominic pieces together the behaviors of bankers, lawyers, and even the economy. Layered with this were the emotional components of the character. His romantic life and feelings of anxiety as well as a strong
A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen's well known play; has been viewed as a dominatingly women's activist work. The play concentrates on the supposedly contented Helmers, Nora and Torvald, who seem to have a perfect life. Nora, the main woman character of the play; is attractive, sweet, and remarkably lovely, and Torvald is a well off and effective banker.
restricted to playing with the children, doing little housework, and working on her needlepoint. A problem with her responsibilities is that her most important obligation is to please Torvald, making her role similar to that of a slave. Torvald easily talks down to Nora saying things like: “…worries that you couldn’t possible help me with”, “Nora, Nora, just like a woman”, and “Mayn’t I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me—that’s my very own?” as if she is considered his property.