Transformation of Nora in Henrik Isben's A Doll's House

1301 Words3 Pages

Transformation of Nora in Henrik Isben's A Doll's House

During the time in which Henrik Isben's play, A Doll?s House, took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Nora is portrayed as a doll throughout the play until she realizes the truth about the world she lives in, and cuts herself free.

Nora Helmer was a delicate character that had been pampered all of her life, by her father, and by Torvald. She really didn't have a care in the world. She didn't even have to care for the children; the maid would usually take care of that. In every sense of the word, she was your typical housewife. Nora never left the house, mostly because her husband was afraid of the way people would talk. It really wasn't her fault she was the way she was; it was mostly Torvald's for spoiling her. Nora relies on Torvald for everything, from movements to thoughts, much like a puppet that is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. Her carefree spirit and somewhat childish manners are shown throughout the play with statements such as, "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" (1). "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (2). A lark is a happy, carefree bird, and a squirrel is quite the opposite. If you are to squirrel away something, you were hiding or storing it, kind of like what Nora was doing with her bag of macaroons. It seems childish that Nora must hide things such as macaroons from her husband, but if she didn't and he found out, she would be deceiving him and going against his wishes which would be socially wrong.

As the play goes on, Nora seems to transform from her delicate little character into something much more. At the end of act one, Krogstad goes to Nora for the recollection of the money she had borrowed from him. "You don?t mean that you will tell my husband that I owe you money?" (21). Since Nora was wrong in doing so socially, she could not tell Torvald or anyone else about her problem. Not only would that affect their social standard but also Torvald's ego, which inevitably would happen anyway. After Krogstad threatens to expose Nora for forging her father's signature, she realizes that no matter what she does Torvald was going to know the truth. The flaw with...

... middle of paper ...

...ying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a succession for all expectations put on a woman and wife by society.

The story A Doll?s House is believable. It stands for every marriage where equality never took place. Many women knew their social status and lived as they were meant to, but for the few that realized there was more to the world then the sheltered life they were living, broke free. Nora was one of the women who knew her place and acted accordingly until she saw that her name had no real value. She was not looked at as an individual, but she was seen as her father's daughter or her husband's wife. The turning point for her decision to break free from this world and start her own life is very believable. She comes to see that her marriage isn't real. Nora no longer loves her husband and knows that he does not truly love her as well. She knows that there is so much more to discover in the world to understand, and until she does she will not allow another man to control her life.

Works Cited:

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. In Four Major Plays. Trans. James McFarlane and Jens Arup. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.

Show More
Related

  • a dolls house

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Act one, Nora’s most noticeable characteristic is her child like personality and her inability to understand the importance of honesty. As the play opens on Christmas Eve Nora comes home with an abundance of extravagant gifts for her family. She also eats some macaroons that she secretly bought that her husband doesn’t allow her to eat. When questioned about the purchase of the dessert by her husband Torvald Helmer, she denies it. Through this act of deception we are able to see that Nora, in denying buying and eating the macaroons is more like a child to her husband. In a normal husband-wife relationship, the wife would have admitted that she did in fact eat them due to the fact that they are on an equal playing field. In this case, Nora was scared to tell him in fear that she will be punished and get in trouble. The deception allows us into Nora’s mind to see that she hasn’t yet understood that if she stand up for herself and says that she did, that with time Torvald will stop treating her like one of his children but instead like the mother and wife that she is. Throughout the first scene yo...

    Read More

  • Trifles Henrik Ibsen Analysis

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “A Doll’s House”, when Torvald learns of her secret affairs concerning Nora forging her father’s signature to get a loan to save Torvald’s life, he began to treat her horribly, insulting her in every way that is possible. In that moment, Nora realized that she could no longer live a life as Torvald’s wife anymore. He wanted to live a life in which no one in the society would know what had happened. They would act like they were a happily married couple in public, but in private they would act as though they were brother and sisters. Torvald cared about his image rather than

    Read More

  • Essay On Feminism In A Doll's House

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll House" The Norton Introduction to Literature. By Kelly J. Mays. Eleventh ed. New York: Norton & Company, 2013. 1447-96. Print.

    Read More

  • A Doll's House A Raisin in the Sun

    3074 Words  | 7 Pages

    Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus.           Boston: Bedford/ST. Martin’s, 2001. 659 – 688.

    Read More

  • Seeking Truth in A Doll's House

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nora is trying to keep something away from public knowledge and especially away from her husband.  She hides the fact that she borrowed money to save his health.  She was afraid that if Torvald knew that she had taken initiative to borrow money to help him that it would be "painful and humiliating"(Ibsen 501) for him.  She knows that Torvald needs to feel in control of everything.  So she hides her actions from him. & nbsp;      Nora hides the fact that she has done something illegal from Torvald.  She is given the opportunity to tell Torvald and maybe get his support or advise on the situation, and she lies to him to hide the truth.  She claims that the reason that she does not want Torvald to fire Krogstad is that "this fellow writes in the most scurrilous newspapers.he can do [Tor could have told him, but instead she decided to hide the truth from her husband. & nbsp;      She also hides her own strength.  She plays the part that she has come accustomed to, being the doll.  The first time in the play that Torvald refers to Nora, he calls her a "little lark"(Ibsen 493).  Throughout the play, he refers to her as a cute little animal, never with any word that might her indicate that he wishes she were a little plaything of his.  To fit this character, Nora hides her true strength until the end of the play.  Nora says that "[she] must stand quite alone"(Ibsen 546) and leaves Torvald to be alone.  Not only does Nora make the claim that she could stand alone, she follows it with an action, thus the audience knows that Nora can be stronger than she was appearing and that she must have been hiding her true & nbsp;      Nora hides her ability to handle money.  She does not let Torvald know that she is entirely capable of handling debt.  Instead, she leads on that "[she] should not care whether [she] owed money or not"(Ibsen 493).  Although she says that she would not care about being in debt, the audience learns that she is handling her own debt  She leads on that she is the little doll who cannot handle anything.  She hides her abilities from Torvald to be his little doll. & nbsp;      The hiding and seeking of the characters in the play is reminiscent of the game that Nora plays with her children.  In playing games like that with her children, Nora is also hiding from them and her job as mother.  She likes to take off their warm outer clothing because "it is such fun"(Ibsen 506).  She finds the job of mother fun.&nbsp 507).  The job of mother was no longer fun, so she abandons it.  She uses the nurse to hide from the children that she gave birth to. & nbsp;      Torvald also hides from his wife, Nora.  He shares none of his work with Nora.  They speak very little about financial matters.  When they do talk, it is mostly silly talk not seriously about their financial situation.  Their first conversation on stage is about money.  He tries pitifully to talk to her seriously about money, but shillings-a pound-two pounds"(Ibsen 493).  He gives her more money to make her happy instead of trying to work out their financial situation.  Torvald hides business about money from Nora just like she hides from him. & nbsp;      Torvald also hides information about his job from her.  Nora barely knows what he does at his job at the bank.  Nora asks Dr. Rank if "all the people who are employed in the bank dependant of Torvald now"(Ibsen 504).  Nora knows that Torvald has had a promotion, but does not even know really what & nbsp;      Nora knows that they are hiding from each other.  She knows that she must hide from those around her to protect her way of life.  Although she is talking to her children at the time, Nora's words can be applied to her actions throughout the play.  Nora says, "Must I hide?  Very well, I'll hide first"(Ibs hiding. The snares are hidden. & nbsp;      Nora and Torvald both hide from each other.  Although she hides from her husband, Nora starts seeking truth.  She is playing the game on both sides.  She hides and she seeks.  She is trying to learn about life.  Nora wants to find that there can be a life where she does not have to hide from the of another and inferior species, Woman"(Shaw 143).  Nora wants to be able to stop hiding.  To be able to do that, she must be treated like an equal.  That is something that Torvald will not do for her.  He will not "sacrifice his honor for the one he loves"(Ibsen 548).  Torvald will not bear all of Nora's weight, even though him, and when that did not happen and she was abandoned, she must seek another life.  She seeks a life where her sacred duties are "to [herself]"(Ibsen 546) before her husband and children.  M. C. Bradbook acknowledges that "in leaving her husband Nora is seeking a fuller life as a human being"(87).   Nora is leaving a life in hiding to find a life that is richer and more full & nbsp;      The hiding and seeking that goes on in the play is far from over when Nora ends the game with the children.  It started before then and finished only when Nora walked out on Torvald and her marriage.  Nora hides her strength, knowledge and abilities from her husband.  She does this because he could not handle having a peer as a wife.  He given to the nurse and Nora is only left with playing with her children.  The job of wife to Torvald is filled only with a hidden personality.  He wishes something that he can call his own and protect with ease.  Nora becomes a seeker when she realizes what kind of life she is leading with her husband.  When she realizes what he seeks as a wife, she also realizes that she needs to find another life.  The a sense of individuality.  With leaving her husband, Nora gives the indication that she will no longer tolerate a way of life that forces her to hide.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: A Doll's House

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Nora and Torvald are living in a world of lies and both of them are not honest with each other and themselves. In the beginning of the play Torvald and Nora are portrayed to be a perfect couple with a perfect life. Nora is seen returning home after a day of shopping and is greeted by her husband lovingly. Even though they seemed to have had some financial troubles in the past, Torvald just receive a new job as a bank manager and everything seemed to be alright, but behind the scenes nothing is alright. Nora has taken out a loan, which is something Torvald would have forbidden. Not only that, but she deceives Torvald by claiming that it was money from her father and she continues to deceive him to make her payments. Another reason for why Nora is keeping Torvald out of her secret is because she needed something “to fall back on” (1.371) something that is very strange if they really loved each other. Torvald also deceives Nora in many ways such as claiming he is much more honourable than Krogstad even though he would also do the same thing if he was in the same situation. Not only that but he unjustifiably fires Krogstad just to silence him from telling people his nickname from school since his public appearance is his greatest priority. These lies will eventually untangle even without the help of Krogstad since both characters

    Read More

  • Mrs. Linde as a Foil for Nora in in Ibsen's A Doll's House

    1642 Words  | 4 Pages

    Davies, H. Neville. 1982. "Not just a bang and a whimper: the inconclusiveness of Ibsen's A Doll's House." Critical Quarterly 24:33-34.

    Read More

  • The Heroic Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

    2491 Words  | 5 Pages

    2. All references to A Doll's House are from Henrik Ibsen, Four Major Plays, trans. James McFarlane and Jens Arup (Oxford and New York: Oxford UP, 1981).

    Read More

  • Gender In A Doll’s House And The Importance Of Being Earnest

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Doll’s House illustrates two types of women. Christine is without a husband and independent at the start of the play whereas Nora is married to Torvald and dependent on him and his position at the bank. Both begin at different ends of the spectrum. In the course of the play their paths cross and by the end of the play each woman is where the other started. It appears that a woman has two choices in society; to be married and dependent on a man or unmarried and struggle in the world because she does not have a man.

    Read More

  • The Growth of Nora in A Doll's House

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Character Of Nora In A Doll's House

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    Krogstad creates an elaborate plan to blackmail Nora and tell her husband about her forgery if she does not persuade Torvald to keep him employed. This would lead to many legal consequences for Nora and would disrupt the family and Torvald 's business as he would take full blame for her illegal actions. Nora 's secret begins to eat at her as she contemplates what she is going to do to solve the problem.  To the audience, Nora 's impression has been completely altered. The secret that Nora possesses, reveals to the audience that her character is much more than just a trophy-wife and an object. In the meantime, Nora begins to look for different ways in order to pay back all of her debts. Nora explains that she, "was lucky enough to get a lot of copying to do... [like] working and earning money" (Ibsen Act 2). Nora begins to deter from that of a traditional wife, and takes on the role of the man and begins working to pay back all of the debt. The audience begins to recognize that Nora is evolving into a determined and brave wife who is willing to protect her secret to support her

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Nora In A Doll House

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nora is a dynamic character. When the play begins Nora is viewed and presented as a playful and carefree person. She seems to be more intent on shopping for frivolous things. But, as time goes on it becomes apparent that Nora actually has a certain amount of seriousness in her decisions and actions in dealing with the debt she incurred to save Torvald’s life. Nora’s openness in her friendship with Dr. Rank changes after he professes his affections toward her. Her restraint in dealing with him shows that Nora is a mature and intelligent woman. Nora shows courage, not seen previously, by manipulating her way around Krogstad and his threats to reveal her secret. After feeling betrayed by Torvald, Nora reveals that she is leaving him. Having

    Read More

  • The Symbolism of the Christmas Tree in the Transformation of Nora

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Trans. William Archer. Boston: Walter H. Baker & Co., 1890. Gleeditions. Web. 12 April 2014

    Read More

  • Free Essays on A Doll's House: An Essay

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Doll House was a play written well ahead of its time. This play was written in a time when it was considered an outrage for a woman such as Nora not only to display a mind of her own, but also to leave her husband in order to obtain her freedom. This play relates to the Art Nouveau and Edwardian period because just as the furniture and clothing were considered decorative pieces, so were women. Women were expected only to tend to the husband's and children's needs. Women were not supposed to do anything without first consulting the husband and certainly never do anything without his prior knowledge and approval. Women were expected to be at home and always looking presentable for their husbands.

    Read More

  • How is the title “A Doll’s House” appropriate for the play?

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A Doll’s House” is a play written by a Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen. The play was published in 1879, and is a literary piece that triggered almost vigorous reactions from the audience. Moreover, the play was considered Ibsen’s masterpiece and he was determined to provoke a reaction from the public. His intention was to bring awareness to the problem of gender roles in the 19th century society: the role of women who were used as decorations of the household. The title this play, “A Doll’s House”, foreshadows the play’s protagonist, Nora Helmer, and her role in the household. The title of the play suggests that Nora is a doll in her own home.

    Read More

More about Transformation of Nora in Henrik Isben's A Doll's House

Open Document