A Relationship of Equals “I have loved you above everything else in the world” (Ibsen 717). This sentiment should be felt at the basis of every contemporary relationship between equals. As well as love, any relationship between equals should including feelings of: partnership, trust, and support. First of all, partnership is a key aspect in any contemporary relationship between equals. Without it, a relationship is not truly equal. Such was the case in Henrik Ibsen’s, “A Doll House.” In Ibsen’s play, the husband, Torvald, held the dominant role in the relationship. He was controlling, demeaning, and emotionally abusive towards his wife, Nora. So, while Nora cared for Torvald more than anything, and considered him her partner, he did not …show more content…
Without trust, two partners can not truly depend on one another. Again, Torvald and Nora’s marriage fits this description. After the truth about Nora’s borrowing arose, Torvald turned on her. The extent of his trust was shown when he told Nora that he, “ought to have suspected that something of the sort would happen” (Ibsen 717). Torvald basically told Nora that she was no better than her father, and that he was second-guessing his marriage to her (Ibsen 717). Obviously, the trust that he had for Nora was slim to none. Torvald’s complete absence of trust in Nora also led to the demise of their marriage. As seen in this play, trust is a key aspect in any relationship between …show more content…
Without it, the foundation of a relationship crumbles and falls into pieces. Yet again, Torvald and Nora’s marriage is a prime example of this. Torvald did not support Nora’s decision to leave him. Instead, he wanted her to stay in the house and work to “save the remains, the fragments, [and] the appearance” of a happy family (Ibsen 717). Although Torvald wanted to “save face” in the eyes of the community, he did not actually want to fix the issue. He also did not want Nora anywhere near the children, for fear that they would take up her habits (Ibsen 717). Nora caught on to the fact that Torvald did not and continually would not support any of her decisions. She even confronted him saying that he “never understood [her]” (Ibsen 720). Support, or lack thereof, was another big issue that led to Torvald and Nora’s separation. This also proved that support is a key aspect in a relationship between
“A Doll’s House” was written by Ibsen not only to bring attention to the suppression of women, but to bring attention to the other problematic aspects of marriage in the late 1800’s. Since the play was first performed in 1879 in Copenhagen, there was debate about the way that Ibsen portrayed the nature of the Helmer’s marriage (McFarland-Wilson, Knapp 140). Throughout the entire Western World in the 20th Century, the position of not only women, but the nature of marriage was up in the air. Ibsen was not a feminist; he was a realist, who loved to point out the injustices in society (Kashdan). Ibsen’s character clearly explains why he chose to center his writing on the overall picture of marriage, not just the neglect and unfair treatment that the women received.
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
Through their everyday conversation, Nora and Torvald reveal that they have a relationship full of meaningless talk and games. “Is that my little squirrel bustling about?” (2), Torvald questions Nora. “Yes!” (2) She answers, running up to Torvald like a puppy. Because of her whimsical attitude, Torvald had assumed that Nora was always happy and carefree, so what reason would there be for meaningful conversation? Their relationship consisted of nothing truly real. Everything was fun and games and for show. Torvald scolded Nora like he would a child, “Hasn’t Mrs. Sweet Tooth been breaking rules today in town…” (4). Then, Nora would respond as a young child would facing punishment, “I should not think of going against your wishes” (4). This type of communications cannot be healthy in any relationship, and greatly hindered the relationship between the two.
Torvald is the typical husband of the time of the play. He tries to control his wife and expect her to submit to him. He manipulates her through many different ways. First, he calls her pet names such as "little lark" (3) and "squirrel" (4) and speaks to her in a condescending tone, as if she is a child. He then tries to control her habits so he will not let her eat sweets or spend too much money. In fact, all the money she gets comes from him. He demands that she is subservient and treats her as almost a dog later on in the play. At the end, when Nora's secret is out, he lashes out at her and kicks her out of the house. When he wants her back after he realizes that he will no longer get into trouble for what she did, she does not want to come back, he finally realizes that she does not love him anymore and that his manipulation of her is over. This leaves him in a pickle because he now has to take care of his children without Nora, hardly a good position for him.
Henrik Ibsen paints a sad picture of the sacrificial role of women throughout all social economical classes in his play “A Doll House”. The story is set in the late 19th century and all minor female characters had to overcome adversity to the expense of love, family and self-realization, in order to lead a comfortable life. While the main female protagonist Nora struggles with her increasingly troubled marriage, she soon realizes, she needs to change her life to be happy as the play climaxes. Her journey to self-discovery is achieved by the threat of her past crime and her oppressing husband, Torvald and the society he represents. The minor female characters exemplifying Nora’s ultimate sacrifice.
At first glance, one might think that the Helmers have a successful marriage—but only at a superficial level. Once we delve beyond the comfort of middle-class security, we see that the foundation of the marriage is built on the utter subservience of the woman. Additionally, Nora’s actions show that—with good reason—she does not truly respect her husband’s value system. Her day is filled with constant acts of subterfuge—some minor, like sneaking macaroons, and some of the utmost importance, like paying back a loan that saved her husband’s life. No matter the level, deceit is a constant in the relationship. This outwardly typical, happy marriage is anything but. In fact, the interactions between husband and wife serve a specific purpose: they illustrate the banality of the discourse between the two. Torvald does not address his wife regarding any subject of substance. Instead, he bestows her with pet names that often begin with the personal pronoun “my” and often include the diminutive “little”: “Is that my little lark?” In this respect, Torvald may think he is flattering his wife. However, he is actually reducing her to a cute, harmless pet—one that is clearly owned. And like a pet, Nora is expected to obey her owner/husband and his petty tyrannical r...
According to Henrik Ibsen, the institution of marriage was secure. Women did not even have the thought of leaving their husbands and the roles within the marriage were clearly defined. In the play, A Doll’s House, it questions certain perspectives as it relates to traditional attitudes, which is highly debatable and provokes intense criticism. Furthermore, in order to fully explain, one must understand characterization, theme, and the use of symbols throughout the play.
Nora was wife of Helmer and a mother of 3 children. They lived in a house where their nurse Anne-Marie took care of the children and Helene which was their maid took care of the house work. Nora was a stay at home mother and would occasionally take on little jobs in order to make ends meet. Nora has lived her whole life as a puppet. Her life has always been controlled by someone else; first by her father and then by her husband Helmer. “Her whole life is a construct of societal norms and the expectations of others” (Wiseman). “Nora’s father would force his beliefs on her and she would comply with them lest she upset him; she would bury her personal belief under Papa’s. According to Nora, Torvald was guilty of the same things” (Wiseman). Nora has always lived her life according to the beliefs of someone else. She didn 't know how to live life any other way because this is how she was raised. She felts trapped in the life she lived because she knew no other way of living besides her current lifestyle. Due to Nora being controlled her whole life she seemed childish and lacked knowledge of the world outside her house. At the end of the story Helmer decides to show his true colors once his future was threatened. This made Nora realize that she does not love her husband nor does he love her, and decides that is not the life she wants to live. “Helmer: You talk like a child. You don 't know anything of the world you live
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a three-act play significant for its attitude toward marriage norms. In the drama, Ibsen explores idealism between the wife Nora and her husband Helmer. Nora’s and Helmer’s idealism forces the pair to see themselves and each other starring in various idealist scenarios of female sacrifice and heroic male rescue. As a play, the scenes are act out on stage. The staging of a house reveals the dramaturgical aspects and dynamics of the play. The presence of the house is significant to the depiction of women on stage. The action of the play traces Nora’s relationship to the house. Ibsen’s play focuses on the aspect of the expected idealism of the wife and husband, and how the domestic abode can hinder freedom.
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
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 husband, Torvald. Nora parades the façade of being naïve and frivolous, deteriorating her character from being a seemingly ignorant child-wife to a desperate woman in order to preserve her illusion of the security of home and ironically her own sanity. A Doll’s House ‘s depiction of the entrapment of the average 19th century housewife and the societal pressures placed upon her displays a woman’s gradual descent into madness. Ibsen illustrates this descent through Torvald’s progressive infantilization of Nora and the pressure on Nora to adhere to societal norms. Nora is a woman pressured by 19th century societal standards and their oppressive nature result in the gradual degradation of her character that destroys all semblances of family and identity.Nora’s role in her family is initially portrayed as being background, often “laughing quietly and happily to herself” (Ibsen 148) because of her isolation in not only space, but also person. Ibsen’s character rarely ventures from the main set of the drawi...
Nora and Torvald's marriage fails because they lack in all of the qualifications for a successful marriage and because of Torvald's control over his family. Before Nora leaves, she tells Torvald,
Nora engages in a mutually dependent game with Torvald in that she gains power in the relationship by being perceived as weak, yet paradoxically she has no real power or independence because she is a slave to the social construction of her gender. Her epiphany at the end at the play realises her and her marriage as a product of society, Nora comes to understand that she has been living with a constr...
Groundbreaking themes were presented in Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House. The play has shared an important message regarding feminism. It was released in the 1800's, during time when women were not taken seriously. This has made the work essential for humanity to observe and respond to. One of the most important aspects of Ibsen's play was the end, in which the main character, Nora Helmer leaves her husband. This was a shocking scene for unprepared audiences in theaters throughout the world. Divorce and separation from one's spouse and children was not proper to discuss in public because it was not looked highly on. Critics and others who study the play wonder if the ending was too bold for the time.
In the play, Torvald also doesn’t trust Nora with money, when Nora wants money instead ...