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Nora Change In A Doll's House

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In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen the play follows Torvald and Nora, a fairly wealthy couple that has been married for eight years. Nora is hiding a secret from her husband which she conceals from him up until the end of the play. The two get into an action filled argument, but the climax of the play occurs within its last pages when Nora, after changing her clothing, decides to leave Torvald so she can learn how to be a better person, wife, and mother (Ibsen 63). This conversation between husband and wife appears to come out of nowhere when we observe Nora’s character at the beginning of the play: a submissive wife who will go out of her way to please her husband. So what changed in Nora’s attitude? What is the symbolism of Nora changing her …show more content…

This shows that at this point, everything in her relationship with Torvald is normal. Torvald then enters and calls her his “little skylark” and his “little squirrel” (5); Torvald uses these phrases to describe Nora throughout the book, showing how he treats her almost as if she were one of his children instead of his wife. This “babying” of Nora is Torvald creating an idealized version of his wife: a sweet, innocent, slightly naive woman who is dependent on him for her happiness, wealth, and comfort. In this act we learn more about Nora’s character, specifically how she has a tendency to lie (she lies and says that Mrs. Linde gave her macaroons when we know that she bought them herself (17) and she lies to Torvald and says that Krogstad wasn’t at their house when he was (25)). In alignment with the gender ideals at the time, Nora dedicates herself to her …show more content…

I felt like this choice in clothing was symbolic because black is a color typically associated with death, and I felt like Nora was wearing this color because she of her plans to commit suicide that evening. As Nora is planning on leaving the house, Torvald confronts her and tells her that he has read the letter. He begins to berate Nora, calling her a “miserable creature,” a “thoughtless woman,” and “a criminal” (59). Torvald then says, “The unutterable ugliness of it all!” (59). This phrase shows how Nora’s actions have made her “ugly” in his eyes because he lives in an idealized world where everything is perfect and Torvald cannot understand why Nora made the decision that she did. Additionally, on page 59, Nora says, “[looks steadily at him [Torvald] and says with a growing sense of coldness] Yes, now I am beginning to understand thoroughly.” The stage directions are important here as they give an indication to Nora’s sudden change in attitude at the end of the play. Torvald continues to chastise Nora until he receives another letter with the bond from Krogstad; once he receives the letter from Krogstad his whole demeanor changes and he says that Nora is forgiven for her wrongdoings and that “I should not be a man if this womanly helplessness did not just give you a double attractiveness in my eyes...I have forgiven you, Nora. I swear to you I have forgiven you” (61). Torvald, now realizing that

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