A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen Research Paper

People cannot survive on their own in this world, so they form relationships. Relationships play an important role in a person's life; it influences and defines one's character and ideals. It can make someone the happiest person in the world or the most miserable. In order to establish a stable and long lasting relationship, there must be proper communication at the base of this bond. The rules of proper communication include: listening to each other, understanding the other person's emotions and needs, truthfully expressing one's view's, and supporting each other during times of adversity. In Henrick Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, he uses the character development of Nora Helmer, the protagonist, and Torvald Helmer, the

In the play “A Doll’s House” Henrik Ibsen introduces us to Nora Helmer and shows us how spontanesly her design of the ideal life can change when a secret of her is revealed. Nora’s husbands promotion to Manager of the town Bank, leaves her convince she will be living a wonderful life; stress and worry free. However, Nora’s idea of a wonderful life is completely changed when her long-kept secret is revealed.

Nora finds strength in realizing her failure, resolving to find herself as a human being and not in what society expects of her. Nora’s recognition comes when Torvald so

Nora comes to this realization towards the very end and in retaliation, she enters the unknown, outside world, leaving her sheltered and previously comfortable life behind. “I have waited patiently for eight years, for I wasn't such a fool that I thought the wonderful is something that happens any old day. Then this--thing--came crashing in on me, and then there wasn't a doubt in my mind that now—now comes the wonderful.” Yes, then what? When I had surrendered my wife to shame and disgrace--!”When that happened, I was certain that you would stand up and take the blame and say,” I’m the guilty one." In retrospect, Nora’s entire life has been dictated by male authority figures for the majority of her life, and she is finally breaking free from the vicious cycle. She was more or less passed down from her father and his establishment of her life in a doll-home very early on, only to pass that torch onto Torvald, who treated her similarly, if not worse. Torvald’s life was then shattered the moment Nora left his doll-home, and will slowly be subjected to realizing that him and Nora could’ve never have prospered in the first

In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, pointedly captures the reality of the Victorian Era within the play. Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, represents the typical women in society during that era. The audience’s first impression of Nora is a money obsessed, childish, obedient house wife to her husband, Torvald Helmer. However, as the play progresses one can see that Nora is far from being that typical ideal trophy wife, she is an impulsive liar who goes against society’s norm to be whom and what she wants. Her husband is illustrated as the stereotypical man during the 19th century, as he is the dominate breadwinner of the family, who too deserts his position as the play reaches its end. A key theme that is brought to light in A

We also see his demeaning behavior when he underestimates her ability to handle money. Herman Weigand points out that "Torvald tells her in money matters she has inherited her father 's disposition" (Weigand 27). So Torvald 's condescending language and names keep Nora in her place as a doll where he likes her to be. James Huneker put it best when he said

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.

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

Although she could do little in her position as a woman, Nora wanted to do what she could to make sure her family was happy and healthy. "But don't you see: He couldn't be told! You're missing the whole point, Kristine. We couldn't even let him know how seriously ill he was. The doctors came to me and told me his life was in danger that nothing could save him but a stay in the south. Don't you think I tried to work on him? I told him how lovely it would be if I could go abroad like other young wives. I cried and begged. I said he'd better remember what condition I was in, that he had to be nice to me and do what I wanted. I even hinted he could borrow the money. But that almost made him angry with me. He told me I was being irresponsible and that it was his duty as my husband not to give in to my moods and whims- I think that's what he called it. All right, I said to myself you've got to be saved somehow, and so I found a way-"(976) Nora showed responsibility when the happiness of her household was threatened. She stepped up to the plate to fix things even though her methods were not right in the eyes of the town. She wanted to save the man she loved with all of her heart.

After Torvald answers why he doesn’t like Krogstad, Nora begins to panic. She begins to panic because she learns that she committed the same crime as Krogstad. Torvald says that Krogstad never admitted his guilt, has a life full of lives, and even lies around his family. Torvald then goes on to say how living in this type of atmosphere can corrupt the whole family. Then, Torvald tells Nora that there’s no way he could work with a person like Torvald. Nora realizes that she might be corrupting her children and that she should leave them to prevent her from corrupting the children. After Torvald tells her all of this, she says that she has to get back to work on the tree so she can think.

Nora has always been contented with her being Torvald’s “little featherbrain.” As the play progresses, Nora eventually figures out that Torvald doesn’t genuinely love her. She expects Torvald to be her protector and stand up against people that criticise her criminal acts. Nora also assumes that Torvald would have offered to take the blame for the crime. He failed the test of love and devotion by mocking her instead of providing help. Therefore, she becomes more rebellious by using imperative speech with Torvald instead of her innocent and childlike language. As the play reaches its end, Nora becomes totally independent from Torvald and talks to him from an equal standpoint, rather than communicating as niece and grandpa or daughter and daddy. Additionally, she no longer views him as the leading person in her life because she now apprehends that she hasn’t been herself throughout their marriage. As she defends her position on her actions she states, “When I look back on it now… I lived by performing tricks for you, Torvald” (Ibsen, 1230). It is clear to her now that she has been nothing more than a means of entertainment to her husband as he would have her dance for him and perform other silly acts.

Women should be treated in a humane way. They are to be taught at a young age how to deal with responsibility, knowing their duties as well as their own personal rights. As wives they thrive to be trustworthy, and as mothers they must be ideal. However, to return the favor, husbands should treat their wives with respect and admiration if they truly love them. Yet in times of dismay and disappointment, women plot to escape-escape from the foolish, mocking asides and the unlistened opinions. When women delve into these secret affairs, they know just what path they are headed down, and what could be the ultimate consequence. In A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, Nora is desperate to break free of her husband’s ties, to become the marionette, instead of the puppeteer. Nora chooses to hide secret letters from her husband, in order to pay off her debt, and fly her way to “freedom.”

Humanism is an idea which focuses on the importance of oneself, rather than the importance of divine or supernatural matters. Humanism is often mistaken for feminism which is one of the major controversies of A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. The idea of humanism becomes apparent through Nora’s interactions with Torvald, Torvald’s interactions with Nora, and Torvald’s interactions with other characters in the play. Many argue that A Doll House, is a feminist play due to its portrayal of the characters which emphasized many values of feminism, but in actuality the play addresses views on the value of dignity in one’s character and the need for one’s identity to be found based on positive choices which defines humanism. Ibsen was able to develop the idea that A Doll House was a humanist play through the way characters made decisions within their lives, even though within the play there were related notions of feminism.

Here, Nora pulls together the tragic circumstances. She sees that she was never truly happy in the house, just content. Her father kept her as a child would a doll, and Torvald continued this when they were married. They formed her opinions for her, set expectations to which she was supposed to adhere, and wrote a vague script of how she was supposed to act. She was like a puppet, with no thoughts or actions of her own. When she finally realizes the injustice being done to her, she decides to free herself.