This is my... this is my playhouse, my dollhouse. And I'm your little doll--I'm your doll and you can pick me up and play with me—pull my legs apart and slap me on the ass--and then when you're through with me throw me in the corner. I'm like a dog who comes to you saying, “Pet me, pet me”
Nora sees herself as a doll or a dog that belongs to her husband Terry. She also describes her surroundings as her dollhouse. Nora initially seems to enjoy her role as house maker and having lots of material things. She seemed to hold Terry in high regards in providing her with the life that she has. However, these things are shown in a new light after all the secrets are revealed at the end. Nora’s role as wife are confined to what her husband wants. She sees that her material things which had made her happy are used to control her.
The pay begins with a detailed description of the generously furnished home where Nora and Terry live. We first see Nora who comes loaded with shopping bags and is followed by her cleaning lady who is also carrying shopping bags as well. Nora is then soon confronted by Terry, who is concerned that Nora is spending too much. Nora hopes that Terry’s promotion will solve all their money woes, but Terry firmly reminds her that it is not a sure thing. He goes on to lecture her on how they need to pay off their credit cards and debts, and they can’t buy a new house and send their kids to private school if Nora spends as carelessly as she does. After being reprimanded, Nora reluctantly decides to return all her purchases. Terry instead says that she could keep it as long as she promises that she was finished with her Christmas shopping.
Nora shows that she feels an obligation to give people presents as ...
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... so was to make her beg for money to pay for the things that were needed. Nora then sees herself as a dog that needs to beg for sustenance. Nora’s cushy lifestyle comes at the price of maintaining appearances for Terry. She is patronized by being relieved of duties that would cause her to wrinkle her skin. Terry doesn’t show much concern for Nora’s enjoyment, only his own. Terry invests in Nora’s appearance as if she was his trophy. Being Terry’s trophy-wife, she sees herself as Terry’s doll. Her life as a doll is solely for Terry’s pleasure; to do what he pleases, when he pleases with no regard for Nora’s thoughts. Terry feeds Nora’s addiction for material goods, making her happy in her role as Terry’s plaything. Nora’s speech is the realization of her life as being totally dependant on her husband, and her duties as wife are aimed chiefly at his desires.
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.
In “A Dollhouse,” Nora is stuck in a marriage with a rich man who has no respect for her. Nora’s husband Torvald, does not think his
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, a drama written in the midst of an 1879, middle-class, suburban Europe, he boldly depicts a female protagonist. In a culture with concern for fulfilling, or more so portraying a socially acceptable image, Nora faces the restraints of being a doll in her own house and a little helpless bird. She has been said to be the most complex character of drama, and rightfully so, the pressure of strict Victorian values is the spark that ignites the play's central conflicts. Controversy is soon to arise when any social-norm is challenged, which Nora will eventually do. She evolves throughout the play, from submissive housewife to liberated woman. It seems as though what took women in America almost a century to accomplish, Nora does in a three-day drama. Ibsen challenges the stereotypical roles of men and women in a societally-pleasing marriage. He leads his readers through the journey of a woman with emerging strength and self-respect. Nora plays the typical housewife, but reveals many more dimensions that a typical woman would never portray in such a setting.
... she is shedding her doll-like world and seeking self-realization and fulfillment. Nora’s purpose is pure in striving to dig to deep into her identity and values as a woman, a part from the dollhouse.
Weintraub, Stanley. ""Doll's House" Metaphor Foreshadowed in Victorian Fiction." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 13: 67-69. Web. 6 Jan. 2011.
The woman in this play is a very happy mother, who does not objectify to be a stay home wife, her life is happy and although she was faced by many obstacles before, like incurring into debt to save her husband’s life, she is a happy woman as long as she possesses the love of her children and husband. Life for Nora seems as calm as it could possibly be, but soon after the promotion of her husband and the imminent consequences such promotion will bring to Krogstad, bring a new set of complication to her life. Soon her past mistakes come to haunt her. She committed forgery, by signing in place of her deceased father, which of course is taken as leverage by Krogstad, the owner of the note she signed, in order for him to conserve his
Nora spent most of her life as a toy. Her father would be displeased if she had separate opinions from him. The masquerade and costumes are her own masquerade; their marriage is a decorated Christmas tree. She also pretends to be the doll, letting Torvald dress her up and tell her to dance. Her husband's use of words, names l...
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
Scott, Clement, Michael Egan, and B. C. Southam. "Part 1: A DOLL'S HOUSE: Chapter 17: An Unsigned Notice By Clement Scott In The Daily Telegraph." Henrik Ibsen (0-415-15950-4) (1997): 101-103. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Nora loves her husband very much, even to the point of idolizing him. As she first enters the home with the Christmas packag...
Nora has been a doll all of her life, fortunately, she has an awakening that kindles her passion for freedom. Torvald restricts her freedom. Torvald adorns Nora to his wishes and desires and basically strips Nora of her identity. Nora wants a happy marriage; hence, she appeases Torvald. When she is being blackmailed, she believes that Torvald will be her savior. However, Torvald’s selfish reaction to the news is Nora’s auspicious awakening. She knows that her marriage is a sham and that she does not know who she is. Nora leaves Torvald so that she can have the liberty to gain knowledge of the world and herself. Nora’s awakening has provided her with the freedom to fulfill her life.
To many people, Nora’s first impression was most likely a money-loving, childish wife. She seems to just want money from her husband and when she was asked by her husband what she wanted for Christmas her response was “money”. Nora also acts childish so her husband, Torvald, treats her like one. Torvald treats Nora more like a house pet instead of his wife. Nora may
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
At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her...
...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.