Analyzing Nora Helmer In The Novel 'A Dollhouse'

762 Words2 Pages

Analyzing Nora Helmer from A Dollhouse By: Henrik Ibsen
First impressions are everything as introductions of characters can make or break an opportunity to entice a reader with the prospect of a new perspective. Writers must emphasize on the characters ' body language, physical appearance, and colloquialisms for their readers to determine whether they will be able to relate and enjoy the literature of their choice. Henrik Ibsen, the play writer of A Dollhouse first impression of his major character Nora Helmer, is reveled to us through other characters at first as the antagonist of his play. The story begins with her deliberately lying to her husband about her transactions of money he gives her as an allowance. She burns through it on clothes,
Although in Helmer 's eyes she will always be a "Little feather brain....a thoughtless woman....[and his] doll-wife," (A Dollhouse Act 3,173-287), Nora 's accusation of Torvalds 's inadequate love and apathetic dedication in their marriage finally gave her a platform to conclude the need for a pilgrimage and to find herself with in this world. She is an interesting and growing dynamic character. Oblivious to her husbands self indulged personality in the exposition of the play, Nora put her own dignity at risk in order to save her husbands life. Her intention of helping her family lead to forgery, debt, dishonesty, and eventually the fall of her family. In return, once Torvald is aware of her the crime she committed, his response "What good is it to me if you were out of the way?" represents his carelessness of his own wife 's
Ibsen 's characters and interactions with one another also revealed problematic issues among the Norwegian government and public during the 19th century. Nora Helmer 's description of her spouse treating her like a doll in a dollhouse, signifies Ibsen 's perspective of the government "playing" with society 's emotions and lives. Ibsen exiled himself to escape the tensions of his native country 's political transmission and to gain a new perspective of governing by living in Germany and Italy. Nora 's decision of leaving is parallel to the story of her creator. Although her departure could be misinterpreted as giving up, there weren 't any successful explanations Nora could provide for her husband because of his pride in appearance. Ibsen 's concludes the only solution for her husband to change was to leave and let his simplistic ideals of Nora determine his

Open Document