Nora And Torvald

She gains her independence and saves her husband. However, her reputation is nearly destroyed after Torvald finds out she forged the letter. Nora asking, “It is indiscreet, to save your husband’s life,” knows that she sacrificed a lot to save Torvald (Ibsen 1029). Nora believes she saved Torvald’s life, she also believes that if he knew then their lives would never be the same. If Torvald knew Nora had taken out a loan, he would feel indebted to her and that would be humiliating to his masculinity, while disrupting their “happy” home life. However, Nora relinquished many of the things that meant a lot to her. Nora forged her father’s signature risking her and Torvald’s reputation. She also takes on all the debt herself, paying it off with her spending money. Nora will not be able to buy as much for herself with the debt revealing her willingness to sacrifice wealth for Torvald’s wellbeing. Just as Cyrano sacrifices his life to send letters to Roxane, Nora sacrifices her happiness and reputation to save Torvald. This shows Nora’s devotion and unconditional love towards Torvald. Both Cyrano and Nora are risking their lives for someone they love. As Cyrano repeatedly risks his life for Roxane, Nora feels as though her “duties to herself” are more valuable than her devotion to anyone else as she states, “aren’t they your duties to your husband and children?... Duties to myself…” (1076). Nora has gone through a kind

When Torvald finds her hairpin stuck in the keyhole of the letter box, Nora tells him it must have been their children trying to get into it, not willing to admit that she had tried to break into his things. Although the truth about her is about to be discovered, Nora wants to preserve the last bits of dignity that she has left, finally worrying about herself before anyone else. This last lie however, leads up to her finally speaking the truth and expressing that she no longer feels that she loves Torvald. Her husband is furious at her, insulting her, and fails to see that every lie that she told was for his sake. Realizing that Torvald can’t see her side of things and will only find fault in what she did, she comes to her decision to leave her family. Nora states that she is not happy and never really was, her marriage to Torvald was as fakes as a doll house according to her. Rather than lie, she is completely honest now and states that she wants to become her own person and learn that which she doesn’t know despite what society might think.

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

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

Torvald was ill and the only thing that could save him would be time spent away from the cold. Nora never tells Torvald about this loan because he doesn’t believe in borrowing. Toward the end of the play when Torvald finds out about the loan, his true colors come out and Nora finally gets to see what her husband is really like. This is what really causes Nora to leave her family and to try to find who she really is. This situation also causes Torvald to change a little as well. Near the end when Torvald finds out about the loan, he gets angry with Nora. Once he learns that she is going to leave him and the children, he begins to change his ways a little and starts treating her with a little more respect. He hopes this will make Nora stay, but she already has her mind set and finally has control for once in her life.

However, Nora does eventually realize that she has been treated like a child all her life and has been denied the right to think and act the way she wishes. When Torvald does not immediately offer to help Nora after Krogstad threatens to expose her, Nora realizes that there is a problem. By waiting until after he discovers that his social status will suffer no harm, Torvald reveals his true

When Krogstad threatens to expose the truth, Nora must use her craftiness to distract Torvald and sway him into letting Krogstad keep his job. Unfortunately, she is not able to change his mind, but she does succeed in diverting his suspicions of her motives. She praises him and lulls him into a false sense of security by telling him that "[n]o one has such good taste as [he has]" and then goes on to ask him if he could "take [her] in hand and decide what [she is] to go as" for the dance. She confesses to him that she "can't do anything without [him] to help [her]". These statements lead him to believe that he is the one to "rescue" her, when it is in fact Nora who is trying to rescue him from dishonour. Later on, when Krogstad puts a letter in Torvald's mail, explaining everything that Nora has done, Nora uses her charms once more. She pretends that she has forgotten the tarantella so that Torvald will spend all his time with her and think nothing of the mail that awaits him. Nora truly believes that by deceiving her husband, she is protecting him from worry. Because of Nora's deception, the person that Torvald believes her to be is quite different from the person she actually is. He believes that she is a "spendthrift," infatuated by expensive things when in reality, she saves her money to pay back Krogstad and buys cheap clothing and gifts. Torvald

Nora proceeds to apologize and plays the role of the obedient wife. Nora has the right to spend extra money after what she has been through for the first few years of marriage. Nora and Torvald were very poor. Torvald also became sick and had to travel to Italy to recover. Nora secretly and illegally got a loan to pay for the trip to Italy. During the time setting of the play, women weren’t allowed to do certain things without their husband’s permission such as take out loans. Nora has been working extra hard to pay back her debt and the promotion that Torvald will receive will help Nora become debt free.

However, it doesn't justify the rest of her lies to her friends and husband. Her deceptive actions then cause problems to stir up in her relationship with Torvald. Krogstad warns Nora that if Torvals fires him, he will take her down with him. Nora then tries to convince Mrs. Linde to persuade Krogstad to not inform Torvald about the situation, however once Krogstad is confronted by Mrs. Linde she tells him to expose Nora. Two letters are sent to the Helmer residence both addressed to Torvald. He comes to learn about Nora's forgery and loses his mind and yells and is shamming her for her actions. In the end, everything that Nora had acquired with Torvald, everything she bragged about, was taken from her because of her deceptive nature in the

ruined my whole future.?(Ibsen 916). Torvald has no compassion for her. He does not care that she took out the loan to save his life. Torvald just wants to order Nora around. His love is not true, but it is an angry petty obsession.

Nora begins as a “girl” who waited on Torvald hand and foot. Although this is true, she does not stay that way. She comes to the realization that Torvald is not the man she thought he was. Torvald was only in love with the idea of loving her. She figured out Torvald loved the image, not the makers of the image.

She also points out this is their “first time” seriously talking, and Torvald is actually listening for once because she is threatening to leave. It is true Nora could have tried to engage in a conversation during their marriage, but whenever speaking to Nora, Torvald would not listen to her when she was trying to be serious. Nora made the attempt to stop him from sending the letter to Krogstad, but Torvald does not take her pleas seriously. Torvald should be the one respecting his wife and not assuming she knows nothing just because she is a woman. Her reaction to this treatment is not an overreaction due to the constant abuse she has to

As Mrs. Linde and Nora continue with their conversation, Nora begins to question whether Torvald does love her. Nora begins to tell her story of how she was the one to raise the money for the trip to Italy and not Torvald. She reveals how she went to Krogstad and asked for a loan to help pay for the trip. When Mrs. Linde asked if Torvald knew any of this information Nora replied, "He's so strict on that subject ... with all his masculine pride how painfully humiliating for him if he ever found out he was in debt to me" (1194). Nora did not feel comfortable telling Torvald about the predicament because she did not want to offend him. Torvald is set on complying by his morals and the fact that Nora disobeyed them would dishonor her

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

(Page 3, 7)Mrs.Helmer began crying, as would a child, after Torvald exclaimed to her, “There can be no freedom-no, nor beauty either-in a home based upon loans and credit,” after she had gotten into trouble for spending money almost carelessly and presented the idea of “borrowing money “. (Page 5) Nora is revealed to have yet another secret she is keeping from Helmer to a childhood friend (Kristine Linde), as it is a preeminent one, she has gotten a loan without the acknowledgement of her husband which back then woman couldn’t do. Nora keeps her friend wondering who it could have been who has given Nora such a loan, she suspects that Dr.Rank, who visits them every day was the secret character loaning Nora the money. (Page 15) As Mrs. Linde refers to Nora as unwise of doing so she rejects the idea of being imprudent, justifying her position as due to cause and nothing more. (Page 16) All through the conversation she joyously talks about her fortunes, adventures and success of having saved the life of Torvald, she stops for a short while and sure enough finds a way to continue about the recruitment of her money. (Page 10-19) After her catch up with Ms.Linde, Krogstad first appears in fear of losing his position at the bank after Helmer becomes angry by Krogstad for referring to Helmer as an equal and convinces Nora to fight for the sake of his job. (p.23-29) Once Mr.Helmer reveals that Krogstad has