Nora in A DOLL’s HOUSE by Henrik Ibsen made the correct decision at the end of the play by leaving her husband and children. Even though, both decision have potential negative impacts; Nora picked the better of the two choices because she is able to freely think and express herself and also reach a state of eudiamonia. First of all, Nora has no individuality in her “doll’s house”; by leaving she is finally liberated and has the chance to make her own decisions. Nora before leaving tells Torvald that “I have existed merely to perform tricks for you… You and papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life” (Ibsen 74). Finally, by leaving the house Nora can accomplish something by herself and find fulfillment in the work she does. She …show more content…
He called me his doll-child, he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls” (Ibsen 74). She then states that after marrying Helmer she “was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours (Helmer). You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same tastes as your else I pretended to” (Ibsen 74). Therefore, Nora made the correct decision by leaving because she never had any input in the things surrounding her; she was just a doll who lived according to the decisions made by others. Finally, it’s often argued that Nora’s decision of leaving her husband and children is selfish. There is some truth to that statement, however, Nora believes that she has more important duties than the duties to her husband and children, and she explains that it is the “duties to myself… before all else I am a reasonable human being … I must think over things for myself and get to understand them” (Ibsen 76). Also, after Torvald reads about the letter from Krogstad, he states that “I shall not allow you (Nora) to bring up the children; I dare not trust them to you” (Ibsen
Throughout the play we never get to know who the real Nora is and what her true personality consists of. Nora also realizes that she does not know who she is, and decides to leave her life. She comments that she needs to discover who she is separate from her husband, children and more importantly society. Nora feels she is not respected, and she is a “doll” to her husband.
Throughout the change from a carefree doll into an independent woman who is finally finding herself, we see that Nora is acting the way she does due to society. She has lost herself due to being a wife and a mother. Society is typically male dominant and because of the roles she has to fulfill, she lost herself.
Nora is not only a vessel to show women’s strong characters but, also shows women are very strong individuals who are capable of anything. She also points out society’s views back in that time frame, like women were only viewed as housewife’s and were to give the man his needs at any time. This is all shown through Nora’s life. She was seen only as a child, and immature adult but, as Nora began to grow we were able to see the beautiful independent woman that she became. When she decided to leave for good, she was able to receive her freedom, and
In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen wrote a play that showed how one woman, Nora Helmer, stood up to her husband after feeling like she was useless to their marriage and their family. Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, was the man of the house and would make every decision for the family, especially for Nora. He supported her financially, but not emotionally. He always took it upon himself to do everything a man was supposed to do at the time, but never let Nora explore herself. He made sure she was kept as just a wife and nothing more. As it was mentioned in the play, Nora was arranged into the marriage by her father. While going through eight years of marriage, she finally felt it was time to find herself as an independent woman in...
to discover and educate herself. She must strive to find her individuality. That the perception of woman is inaccurate is also supported by the role of Torvald. Woman is believed to be subordinate to the domineering husband. Instead of being the strong supporter and protector of his family, Nora's husband is a mean and cowardly man. Worried about his reputation he cares little about his wife's feelings and fails to notice many of her needs. The popular impression of man is discarded in favor of a more realistic view, thus illustrating society's distorted views. Ibsen, through this controversial play, has an impact upon society's view of the subordinate position of women. By describing this role of woman, discussing its effects, and predicting a change in contemporary views, he stressed the importance of woman's realization of this believed inferiority. Woman should no longer be seen as the shadow of man, but a person in herself, with her own triumphs and tragedies. The exploration of Nora reveals that she is dependant upon her husband and displays no independent standing. Her progression of understanding suggests woman's future ability to comprehend their plight. Her state of shocked awareness at the end of the play is representative of the awakening of society to the changing view of the role of woman. "A Doll's House" magnificently illustrates the need f...
Nora's second secession from society 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," and "Nora, Nora, just like a woman." 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?" By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes society's expectations. Nora also brakes society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a secession from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society.
The women had very little influence on what their husbands thought, how they acted, or what they did. Nora followed many of Torvalds’s commands, allowing him to hear little of what she did behind his back. In a scene where Krogstad asked her for a favor to convince Torvald to let him keep his position at the bank, Nora responds with, “What should make you think I have any influence of that kind with my husband?” (24). This proves that Nora would have little effect on her husband. Many of the times she tried to talk to him, he would easily demean her. He would call her his “little skylark” or other names what would make her feel like a child with little power over him. During the 1870’s women had a hard time finding positions in their home and in life without the influence of their husband. It wasn’t until after the 1870’s that women officially started to gain more rights, such as voting, divorce rights, and property claims.
Imagine marrying someone who belittles your character, but you would do anything to save them and make them happy. In the short play by Hendrick Ibsen “A Doll’s House” foreshadows abandonment. Nora deserves to find herself and who she is as a character. Nora, the wife feels a sense of abandonment when she does a crime to save her husband, but he treats her bad anyways. This story shows irony in a sense that this is exactly how life and marriage should not be.
Nora may not be the most outstanding role model but she didn't need to abandon the children. Nora is not just being a bad mother she is abandoning her children completely. First of all, as a mother they have a duty to be not only a great wife but care for their children. She has called this man, Torvald Helmer, a stranger and just leaves her own children with him.
Although leaving her children is quite possibly one of the most difficult things for a mother to do, Nora, through great strength, does this to save them from being raised by herself: a woman who doesn't know how to be a mother. Some may argue that Nora's move is purely selfish because her children, who love her dearly, have their lives wrapped up in her very existence. She is their playmate and, very likely, the only parent who will take any time for them since their father seems much more interested in his job than his children's lives. How can she just abandon her children, leaving them helpless?
In the play " A Doll's House", written by Henrik Ibsen, Nora, the main character of the play, decides to abandon her husband, her home and her children in order to find herself. She finally realizes she has to leave when confronted with a problem in her relationship with her husband, who keeps treating her like a doll, reflecting the childish treatment she always received from her father before. She finds the strength to leave with her childhood friend Kristine, who has led a hard life, and has the wisdom to guide and support her. Nora leaves the role of the doll child and doll wife she played her whole life, and becomes an independent self-thinking adult, when she realizes that the world is different than she always thought it was, and that she herself is not who she thinks she is.
In Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”, characters are constantly changing their identity. Nora opens up the play by presenting her childish mind to Torvald. Always being in control, Torvald see’s Nora only as a child and not ever being serious. Her father and Torvald brainwashed her mind to act like a cute puppet to them. She pretends to be vulnerable to him to receive attention and money. Nora’s true self is hidden deep underneath herself waiting to appear. Because of unfortunate events in the play, Nora will stop at nothing to receive what is rightfully hers as her sense shifts from Torvald’s joking wife, into a self-empowering, prepared woman.
She starts to play more attention to Torvald after Krogstad threatens to tell her secret. Nora realizes that Torvald only sees her as a child that needs his help with everything she does. As she said,” I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald. But you would have it so” (720). She comes to understand that she was merely a doll to him, and that’s all he’s ever going to want her to be. Once Krogstad reveals the secret she decides to leave Torvald when he fails to prove that he truly loves her. As she said, “when the wonderful thing did not happen; then I saw you were not the man I had thought you” (722). She wanted him to show her that he would protect her and instead he got furious at her.
...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs.
...on as a disgrace to society because women are not expected to leave there husbands. Nora proved that she can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and that she is capable of doing things when she is determined. She is eventually freed from that doll ouse, as she calls it, and it allows her to leave without being afraid to learn about her and the world around her.