Nora From The Classroom Observation

Nora is a character who undergoes radical change over the course of the play. Initalay introduced to us in Act One as a playful housewife who is faithful and submissive Nora State “I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to.” (Act 1) This shows some of the gender dynamics of marriages in the 19th century and also assists in portraying Nora’s husband Torvalds hold over her independent thought. Torvald calls Nora by pet names his "little squirrel," his "little lark," and, worst of all, a "featherhead," Nora shows no reaction to this behavior (1.5-1.16). Nora seems quite innocent and childlike in her behavior treating this as terms of endearment rather than insulting due his refusal to treat her as an equal. Her husband Torvald chides her for her reckless indulgences with their finances but little does he know she is carrying a secret. There is tension building between Nora and her husband as it comes to head.There is a clear acknowledgment here that both Nora and Helmer have been blinded by their self-theatricalizing fantasies. Without letting Helmer off the hook, Nora acknowledges that she

Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote

The various masks that Nora wore throughout the story can have even an unbiased reader scratching their head as to whether they love or hate her character. When it comes to her husband, she maintains a quality of total submission carrying on her duties as a wife and mother keeping the home exactly the way he likes it. Yet, she feels it is necessary to hid and lie about even the little things such as macaroons a forbidden treat since he feels they will ruin her teeth although, it is more likely his concern lies with her figure. Never challenging him on decisions, but instead using her craft of manipulation and childlike pouting in order to sway him, “Now, now, the little lark’s wings mustn’t droop. Come on, don’t be a sulky squirrel” (Ibsen

Nora’s growth could be described as a subtle process. It is not until the end of the play that she even decides to leave and seek out the life experience she needs to develop her own thoughts, ideas and actions. However, there are definitely many small instances within the

Nora’s need to please her father and later her husband made her lose her true self and it is through the flow of events that she realizes that she needs to go and find her true self

Though Siddhartha and “A Doll’s House’ share a completely different storyline, they are very much similar because of the development of the main characters throughout the two stories. Nora, from the play “A Doll’s House,” changes her image after recognizing what kind of life she was living. Siddhartha, from

Krogstad is truly great as he has the most powerful influence over Nora. Nora, at first, is very simple minded. A reader would not think much of her when reacting to her

Unlike Laura, Nora is developed as a very round character through the use of indirect presentation. Over time, Nora builds up the confidence to leave her husband, who treats her like a plaything, a doll. Little things built up to make her marriage unhappy. In the beginning, Nora seems a bit ditzy, even a bit unintelligent, and not much of an intriguing character at all. She allows her husband to call her ridiculous things like his “sulky squirrel” or “little lark” and doesn’t seem the tiniest bit offended by it. She also seemed childish when her husband refused to give her spending money but exclaims, “Money!” when Helmer says “Nora, guess what I have here.” It’s like offering a little child a small present like candy to lift their spirits a little. And she poses to be a little scatterbrained when she couldn’t help but be a little prideful and slightly insensitive while talking to Mrs. Linde, who had almost nothing and was pretty miserable. At first she realized what she was doing and said “Oh, but thoughtless me, to sit here, chattering away. Sweet, good Kristine, can you forgive me?” but reverts back to doing so. Although Mrs. Linde insisted “No, no, no, tell me about yourself,” it seemed like she was saying that out of politeness as Mrs. Linde doesn’t seem like the kind of person to sit there and spill out all of her pains and sorrows. However, the ditzy side of Nora is really only skin deep. She is truly a round character. It can be seen that she is willing

In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Nora starts out as sympathetic person, making decisions based upon the welfare of only others, and never herself. She is a caring, naïve and loving person, making it easy to forgive her for her faults. As the story proceeds her motives are questioned, and so is the idea of whether or not she is still a sympathetic character.

Compare and Contrast of Nora and Torvald In A Doll House you are faced with the two main characters Nora and Torvald. While in this play Nora acts as naieve you later see her true colors that paint her as an individual who, for her time would be considered independent and

Nora discovers her capabilities and true self worth by the end of the play, leaving Torvald and the unsatisfactory life that she led with him. Nora is finally able to relieve herself from the doll’s life she has had and admits this: “I’ve been your doll wife here, just as at home I was Papa’s doll-child” (226). When Torvald not only questions her abilities as a woman, but also as a mother, the sole purpose she held in life, Nora realizes that nothing can ever truly satisfy Torvald and there may not be a point in staying in this prison-like household. Nora decides it is high time that she begins to take care of herself before she sacrifices her life for her husband and children. From the mistakes that Nora has made in her life, she discovers that the only way to improve her is through education: “There’s another task that I must finish first – I must try to educate myself” (227).

I understand that her father treated her similarly, creating a complex that a doll is all she will ever be. However, Nora challenges this and leaves it all behind her, which is more than any other major works featuring a woman in this time. I just think that she should have shouldered more of the blame than she does here. Then again, she leaves behind her children as well leading me to believe that she is not one for picking up slack of any kind, but merely leaving a mess behind her.

Despite her grand revelation and advancement as a character, Nora is still devastatingly childish and naïve. This is shown in the final act and scene of A Doll’s House, after her fight with Torvald. On the surface it seems like the right choice for Nora to leave because of this nasty fight; however, she too, like Torvald, is somewhat clouded by emotion. In reality she is running from her problems without making any actual effort to salvage her marriage. Over and over again, Nora solves her problems by going behind Torvalds’s back instead of actually communicating with him. Even in the end, she lies about such a trivial thing such as attempting to break into their mailbox, this being at a point where she has mostly accepted defeat. This could show how afraid Nora has been afraid of her husband, however, it mostly shows how avoidant of confrontation she is. Not to mention, she puts Torvald on a sort of pedestal, having expectations that are idealized and not based in reality. Yes, Torvald is indeed manipulative, but he does have very reasonable cause to be furious. Most of Nora’s

Primarily, Nora is portrayed as being rebellious, which is typically described as a more masculine trait. The play revolves around Nora’s revelry, as it shows her not depending on any person other than herself. Without forms of rebellion within Nora, she would be a very

However, Nora never spends more than play time with her children. Not knowing how to properly take care of them, she is forced to rely on a nanny. In the end, she leaves her family to pursue an independent life. In her final confrontation with Torvald she exclaims, " And I--how am I equipped to bring up children?" (Ibsen 110). Nora has no maternal instincts and wants to be an independent woman.