Review of Ibsen's 'A Doll's House'

I don’t believe that Nora could not think for herself. She took a loan to help pay for a trip for her and her sick husband. She knew to forge her recently deceased father’s signature to obtain the loan. And she worked in secret from her husband to pay the loan back. She was naïve to think forgery was not a crime because it was done out of love for her husband, but she did it without thinking she would get caught. She would not have gotten caught if Krogstad didn’t get in his own trouble and proceed to blackmail her. So it makes sense that when she has her anagnorisis and realizes that her husband won’t give her the “miracle” of forgiving her and that she doesn’t even love him, that she chooses to leave him. The only part that does not make sense to me was that she left her husband and her children. As a mother I would never leave my child. But I was fortunate not to have my daughter until I was 28 years old, and had lived and experienced much, and had plenty of time for self-discovery and selfishness. I

Nora only achieves maturity when she leaves her husband and children. Through her abandonment she was able to receive closure on the aspect of her life that was preventing her from reaching her full potential. Prior to her leaving, Nora explains to Torvald what she must do for her best interests. "I have to try to educate myself," she says, "You can't help me with that. I've got to do it alone. And that's why I'm leaving you now" (Ibsen 192). Torvald responds by saying that she has no right to neglect her duties to her husband and children. Nora explains, "I have other duties equally sacred...Duties to myself. I believe that, before all else, I'm a human being, no less than you-or anyway, I ought to try to become one" (Ibsen 193). Nora reprioritizes her life and realizes that she needs to cater to her personal needs and establish a life of her own before she can tend to the lives of others. Ibsen is implying that the woman

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora Helmer is a traditional “angel in the house” she is a human being, but first and foremost a wife and a mother who is devoted to the care of her children, and the happiness of her husband. The play is influenced by the Victorian time period when the division of men and women was evident, and each gender had their own role to conform to. Ibsen’s views on these entrenched values is what lead to the A Doll’s House becoming so controversial as the main overarching theme of A Doll’s House is the fight for independence in an otherwise patriarchal society. This theme draws attention to how women are capable in their own rights, yet do not govern their own lives due to the lack of legal entitlement and

In Henrik Ibesen's play A Doll House, Nora Helmer struggles with telling her husband, Torvald Helmer, the truth about a loan she receives for them to go to Italy when he was sick. Consequently, when Torvald learns of the news he instantly insults Nora and declares that she has "ruined [his] happiness" (Ibesen 93). However, when Torvald tries to dismiss his insults after receiving a note that her contract was revoked, she does not accept his apologizes and decides to leave Torvald and her children to "make sense of [her]self and everything around [her]" (Ibesen 100). Her selfish decision to leave makes her a bad wife and mother, but she there are a few more characteristics that makes her a bad wife. The characteristics that Nora shows in

The audience learn that Helmer and Nora's relationship is not a relationship with equality between genders. Through the way Helmer speaks to Nora, the audience can infer that he thinks that Nora is a child and he keeps Nora dependent on him. Helmer also plays the role of Nora's second father. Nora seems to be a woman who is unaware of the true aspect of their relationship and is quite oblivious.

The play A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen) is centered around the lives of the antagonist, Torvald Helmer and his wife Nora Helmer. Torvald is deemed as the antagonist based on the belief that he is a power hungry misogynist whilst his wife naturally becomes the protagonist, as her husband does not treat her as an equal. The entire play itself is submerged in the issue of individual versus society. Women and men during the Victorian Era were known to have two separate callings known as separate spheres. The idea of separate spheres is based on the ‘natural’ characteristics of men and women. It is said that women are weaker and more moral thus they are more suited for the domestic sphere whilst men were to be the breadwinner and labour all day.” Ibsen uses interpellation in his play to allow for an even deeper insight and understanding of Torvald Helmer’s life. Interpellation is an ideology/philosophical ideal that has two forms: Repressive State Apparatuses and Ideological State Apparatuses. Repressive State Apparatus deals with persons being subject to ideologies or certain principles solely because it is seemingly the norm whilst

With the home she lives in, her "self" is very much silenced, and this eventually comes to displease her. As she confesses to Torvald of her decision, she tells him her most sacred duty, "Duties to myself"(Act III, 76). She begins to realize that not every woman has to rely on a manly figure to survive in society, and begins to take on the rebellion by going on a journey to seek her own individuality with determination. It will make one inhumane if they lost their own precious soul; Nora created the right path for herself and also for future women who struggle with finding their own

Ibsen’s character Nora in A Doll’s House, shows gradual development throughout the play to support his theme that above all else, you are human; even in marriage both parties should be given the equal opportunities, rights and respect. While Nora may at first seem happy with her life inside her “doll house”, she begins to recognize that she must find herself, and stop being a toy in the lives of men.

Nora and Torvald's definition of “ being a human” are completely different. Torvalds definition of being a “human being” is trying to say that Nora is like society's human being. Society's stereotype that Torvald is trying to describe or symbolize is that she has to follow the man's ways, that the man of the house should always be right. That what the man does is what is correct for the family. Noras definition or symbol for saying “ before all else, I’m a human being” means that she is a real true human being that messes up and has dreams to become something else than a housewife.

Marriage is a forever commitment between two individuals to love one another but marriages don't always have the fairytale happy ending. In Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll House, Nora and Torvald Helmer learn some things about their marriage that they had not realized before. Nora Helmer discovers Torvald, herself, her marriage, as well as her own identity as a woman.

Nora's second, and strongest, break from society's rules was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children.  Society demanded that she take a place under her husband.  This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like "worries that you couldn't possibly help me with" (Ibsen Page #), and "Nora, Nora, just like a woman" (Ibsen page #).  She is almost considered to be property of his: "Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure?  At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me - that's all my very own" (Ibsen page #)?  By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and destroys the very foundation of society's expectations of a wife and mother.  Nora also breaks society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era.  Her decision represented a break from all expectations placed upon a woman by society. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and treated as a possession by her husband. She is

In the story “Doll House” Nora had been previously scolded by her husband and finally informed Torvald, “I’m saying we’ve never sat down seriously and got to the bottom of things” (936 MLM). Nora was done being treated as a child by Torvald. He shielded her from the world, like her father, and would never let her form an opinion stray from his own. He wouldn’t let her talk of the serious matters in life, from morality to simple decisions with money, that had to do with being her own person with her own mind. This led Nora to leave and find herself as Torvald would not let her just be with his grown instinct that love from a husband must have a controlling nature over the wife in the marriage, not an equality between the

When Torvald was ill Nora did all she could to keep him from dying. Nora took risks to keep her husband alive. Because Nora took the risk of taking her husband to Italy, her and Torvald had gotten into massive debt. She may not have told Torvald about the money and signing the papers, but that was a risk she was willing to take. Nora does not just take a risk by signing the papers but when she left Torvald and her children. In the time the play was written, women did not leave their spouses. When Nora left she took a chance.

In preparation for Nora's dance at the party, we again see Ibsen showing us Torvald's and Nora's roles. "I can't get anywhere without your help."(Ibsen 91) "Direct me. Teach me, the way you always have."(Ibsen 91) Nora's lines reflect the "costume" that Torvald expects her to wear (and which she wears obligingly), that of the meek, subservient, childlike wife.

childish actions. Helmer grows accustom to being the father figure to Nora and in essence