In the Victorian society, restrictions were in effect for most married women. It is the time when sexism is very predominant. Men liked to dominantly control their wives and tell them what to do, and women didn’t have the authority to disobey their husband because they were subordinate to their husband. Henrik Ibsen, famous playwright known to be father of modern drama, wrote the play A Doll’s House. Nora, the protagonist, portrays the life of a women who is controlled by her husband Torvald. She is blackmailed by Krogstad, the antagonist, and is forced to go through the struggles to fix the situation by considering suicide, but soon realizes the truth to who she and Torvald really are and leaves. Nora is a woman who seems to be very childish …show more content…
Nora is a women who acts very childish. In the beginning of the play, Nora is having a conversation with Dr. Rank and Kristine; when she pulls out some macaroons Nora asks “Dr. Rank, a little macaroon on that? “See here macaroons! [Rank] thought they were contraband here”” (958). Nora is lying and rebelling just how a child would act to get out of trouble or get what he/she wants; proving that she is in fact a very childish person. She wants to say “to hell and be damned” to Torvald, but she is too scared (958). She is scared what Torvald might say, just how a child would be scared to curse in front of their parents; she isn’t acting like an adult and is very rebellious to get what she wants. Nora is asking the kids “what shall we play? Hide-and-seek?” and the kids answer by running and screaming to hide …show more content…
When Nora is talking with Anne-Marie, the maid, she says “if the babies didn’t have [a mother], then I know that you’d…” (976). Nora doesn’t finish her sentence because she doesn’t want to think about losing her children; even though she acts like a child, she is willing to save Torvald twice by thinking of suicide. She also doesn’t want to think about losing everything she has because she likes it the way it is. When Krogstad comes to Nora’s house and delivers the letter telling Torvald everything about the forged contract that Nora signed, Mrs. Linde comes in after Krogstad leaves. Nora tells everything to Mrs. Linde “so that [Mrs. Linde] can be [her] witness” (993). The only way to help Torvald is to have Mrs. Linde help be the witness so that rumors and suspicions will not be looked upon Torvald as the forger and Nora as the accomplice. Nora is already planning to commit suicide to save Torvald from embarrassment and loss of pride. When Krogstad and Nora is still talking about the letter Krogstad has in his hands Krogstad tells her that he “still [has Torvald] safe in [his] pocket” and Nora is there questioning “Afterwards? When I’m no longer?” (992). Nora is not scared of Krogstad anymore and she knows that if she is gone, then Torvald will not be in anymore trouble. She isn’t afraid of dying, but she is afraid that Torvald might stand up for Nora and take the
Although Nora is secretive about the crime she committed, which is forging her father’s name in order to borrow money; she does it to save her husband. During Act I when Nora is speaking to Mrs. Linde about someday revealing to Torvald about the secret loan Nora exclaims: “One day I might, yes. Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little. Don’t laugh. I mean, of course, a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him.” (Act I, pg. 12). This quotation shows that even early on in the play Nora understands the reality of her marriage, and her existence to Torvald. Therefore, Act I is merely an introduction to the overall overarching theme of independence. Act I shows the obedient side of Nora, until later scenes when she reveals her independence. Torvald attempts to oppress his wife, but his actions do not stop Nora’s independent thoughts from forming.
It is the actions of Torvald, not Krogstad, which ultimately causes Nora to leave and thus ending their marriage. During the majority of the play he is a pompous and patronizing husband. He looks at himself as superior to Nora, never looking at her as an equal contributing member of the family. It was his inability to change that tortured Nora so much that during a conversation with Mrs. Linde, she referred to the possibility by saying, “Or the miracle that’s going to happen!” (1632) Change could have greatly helped Torvald if he only had possessed the ability to look at himself as Nora’s husband and not her
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
Throughout act 1, Nora repeatedly decorates the tree with ornaments and decorations: “Nora decorates the tree, still talking to herself, saying everything Krogstad has said is nonsense…” Nora’s act of decorating the tree parallels to the standards society has for women to cover themselves in pretty clothes and makeup. Nora’s continuous decorating also represents her secrets and deceit and the lies she tells herself about her ‘stable’ marriage. In the quote, Nora rejects what Krogstad has said and refuses to accept the truth, representing her childish behavior and her inability to face her problems, choosing to hide them with pretty decorations instead.
Nora begins to take offence to the words of Torvald. He refers to her as his most “prized possession”, and continues to say that he often imagines her as though she is his mistress, and she is a temptress. Nora continues to get offended, telling Torvald she doesn’t want any of this. Nora begins
In the play “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen, Torvald Helmer is husband to Nora Helmer and a newly appointed bank manager. Torvald is a diligent business man spending most of his time in his study watering the roots of his newfound social status. The play is set circa 1879 when men dominated society and women were oppressed and expected to fulfill their role as the good house-wife. During a time where social expectations were high, Torvald is obsessed with patriarchal ideals, being a powerful business man and seeking a good reputation, but at the expense of others. Social norms at the time are what lead Torvald to believe himself a protector and guardian for Nora.
A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, creates a peephole into the lives of a family in the Victorian Era. The play portrays a female viewpoint in a male-dominated society. The values of the society are described using the actions of a woman, Nora, who rebels against the injustices inflicted upon her gender. Women’s equality with men was not recognized by society in the late 1800’s. Rather, a woman was considered a doll, a child, and a servant. Nora’s alienation reveals society’s assumptions and values about gender.
In his play, A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen depicts a female protagonist, Nora Helmer, who dares to defy her husband and forsake her "duty" as a wife and mother to seek out her individuality. A Doll's House challenges the patriarchal view held by most people at the time that a woman's place was in the home. Many women could relate to Nora's situation. Like Nora, they felt trapped by their husbands and their fathers; however, they believed that the rules of society prevented them from stepping out of the shadows of men. Through this play, Ibsen stresses the importance of women's individuality. A Doll's House combines realistic characters, fascinating imagery, explicit stage directions, and
The enforcement of specific gender roles by societal standards in 19th century married life proved to be suffocating. Women were objects to perform those duties for which their gender was thought to have been created: to remain complacent, readily accept any chore and complete it “gracefully” (Ibsen 213). Contrarily, men were the absolute monarchs over their respective homes and all that dwelled within. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate
In “A Doll’s House”, Torvald and Nora each have a unique role in their marriage. Torvald treats Nora as his little doll, or plaything, while Nora treats him as the man of the house who has the authority to do anything he wants. These ideas form because the society within the play does not allow much freedom for women. According to this society and culture, a women’s role is depicted by the man she is with, the female character’s all exemplify Nora’s assertion that women have to sacrifice a lot more than men. In this play, Nora, Mrs. Linde, and the maid all hold sacrificial roles depicted by the society they
In A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen focuses on the importance of women's roles and freedom in society. Widely regarded as a feminist paean, the play features two major female characters; the most prominent of whom, Nora Helmer, shatters her position as a subservient, doll-like female when she walks out on her husband and children with a flagrant "door slam heard round the world." Nora’s evolution, though inspiring, should not overshadow another crucial woman in the play: Mrs. Kristine Linde. Both women attain freedom in a society dominated by the adherence to conservative marital roles, but do it in different ways. While Nora reaches her consciousness and slams the door on her shackling domicile, Mrs.
In the play, A Doll House, Nora Helmer is a house wife who experiences an unexpected event with her husband, Torvald, which led to a whole new understanding of her life and what she was going to do with it. Nora would always try to do anything that she could to please her husband so that she would always keep him happy towards her and never give him a reason to leave her because she felt that she loved him so much and she would not know what to do without him. Nora would constantly lie to make sure that Torvald was happy and she would make sure that he would not find out. At the beginning of the play, Nora was being accused by Torvald of eating macaroons and she stated “You know I could never think of going
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.
Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” is a play about a young wife and her husband. Nora and Helmer seem to be madly in love with one another and very happy with their lives together. Yet the conflict comes into this show when Nora brags to her friend Ms. Linde about how she had forged her father’s name to borrow money to save her husband’s life and how she had been secretly paying off this debt. Helmer finds out about this crime and is furious, until he finds that no one will ever know about it. This entire conflict is written to bring to light the ridiculous social expectations demanded of both women and men. Ibsen expertly leads the audience into accepting that these social expectations are foolish and wrong. The audience
By saying all these things Nora is seemingly proving to Torvald that he has power over her. Luckily, Torvald is not incredulous and feels that Nora is being