Henrik Isben's A Doll's House

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.

From now on, you gointuh eat whatever mah money can buy uh and wear de same. When Ah ain’t got nothin’ you don’t git nothin’” (Hurston 128). Tea Cakes breaks the gender boundaries when he ask Janie to work on the field with him and he “would help get supper afterwards” (Hurston 133). This marriage is different because they become a team rather doing the work based on their gender roles. Although Tea Cake seem like the perfect husband for Janie, he took the abusive trait from Joe of showing that he was Janie’s owner: When Mrs. Turner’s brother came and she brought him over to be introduced, Tea Cake had a brainstorm.

As most other men during this time, Torvald believed that women were not capable of making difficult decisions, or thinking for themselves. As the play progresses, Nora faces a life changing decision to abandon her duty as a wife and mother to find her own individuality. Even though Torvald is responsible for partial deterioration in their marriage, it is Nora's feministic beliefs, passion for life, thoughtlessness, and spontaneity that stimulate her ultimate plan to break away and shatter all that remained pleasant in Torvald's “perfect little dollhouse”. Nora, the protagonist, has been treated as a "play thing" by her father and then her husband, Torvald. She is thought to be fragile and incapable of resolving any serious problems.

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... ... middle of paper ... ...le that Nora expects and the miracle that actually happens are entirely different. Nora dreams of the day that her husband will sympathize with her and cease to be the dominating figure with the "upper hand" in their relationship.

Starks is a smooth talking power hungry man who never allows Janie express her real self. The Eatonville community views Janie as the typical woman who tends to her husband and their house. Janie does not want to be accepted into the society as the average wife. Before Jody dies, Janie is able to let her suppressed anger out. When Tea Cake enters Janie's life, Janie really starts to come out of her shell.

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. Nora opens the play acting like a child, loving her financial status, and is very obedient to Torvald. In Act I, Nora only cares about Torvald’s pocketbook to receive lots of money from him.

Nora has pretended to be someone else in order to fulfilled a role for not only her husband but also her father and society. Ibsen’s play shows a bleak picture of the role women held in society. Nora is well off compared to other female characters of the play but still lives a difficult life because she is in a loveless marriage and her husband is condescending towards her, he says to her “Hasn’t Miss Sweet-Tooth been breaking rules in Davis 2 town to-day?” (Ibsen, 795) He treats her like a child before Torvald asked her. Nora “[puts the bag of macaroons into her pocket and wipes her mouth]” (Ibsen, 793). Nora is not allow to have sweets and has to go behind her husband’s back.

It unveiled that anyone could be blinded by wanting to fit in and not becoming the outcast. “You are just like the others. They all think that I am incapable of anything really serious,” (Ibsen 235). Nora frequently tries to fit into her own age group, but seems to be rejected as they underestimate her and her capabilities. The characters as a whole seemed to lack intelligence when it came to pleasing the world around them.

Throughout the play he would treat her as he was her father rather than her husband. Torvald watched her every step. He even made sure she didn’t eat sweets fearing it would do damage to his trophy wife teeth. Torvald, “Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?” Nora, No certainly not.” Torvald would like to appear as a person that is a loving and responsible husband; however he is just someone who is incapable of loving someone. One of the most amazing things to Helmer was practicing Nora’s dance routine.

Nora expresses her sympathies and promptly brags about Torvald's promotion at the bank. She is so excited at the importance of his job and more importantly the money that will begin to start pouring in. Nora thinks it will be wonderful not having to worry about money and being able to shop at any time for a... ... middle of paper ... ...ther, thus ironically pushing her toward finding new ways to relate to society. When moments he later receives Krogstad's second letter and restores her to her status as delicate possession she recognizes the he is once again trying to cut off her change to grow and become involved in the world (Hornby 100). In effect Torvald alienates Nora into leaving her home and her family.