“I believe that, before all else, I’m a human being, no less than you – or anyway, I ought to try to become one” (Act III 1016). These words echoed throughout history and changed the course and status of women in society today. Written by Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House perfectly demonstrates a woman going against the ideas of how society should have been. At the time the play was written, it was evident that women held little to no role in society. Although Ibsen didn’t get to see the impact of his play in his lifetime, it greatly impacted the course of theater. Nora’s decision to leave her family and to put herself before them was a debatable topic during the 19th century but was the right decision because of the relationship that she had created …show more content…
The life that she was living was ultimately degrading and by leaving, she was escaping the unequal relationship she was having with her husband. Nora’s decision to leave was based on the fact that Helmer has never treated her as an equal. He’s always called her his “little lark” and other derogatory names. These names belittle her presence and makes her feel insignificant, but he does this to fuel his own pride. “--How painfully humiliating for him if he ever found out he was in debt to me. That would just ruin our relationship. Our beautiful, happy home would never be the same” (Act I 977). Helmer has this image where he is the sole provider of the income for his family and with his new promotion, he feels that his family depends on him. If he were to be told that Nora had saved his life he would feel indebted to her. It would ruin the “relationship” and their “beautiful, happy home.” On the outside, it seems like they have a perfect little family, and a perfect life, but that is just the image, on the inside, the truth, it is much worse, filled with webs of lies. Another thing that is disturbing about the relationship between is the fact that they never talk seriously to each other. And when Nora asked to speak more seriously with him, and give Helmer the chance to give her some say, he doesn’t give it. Even when he was given the chance to save their marriage, to complete the …show more content…
Her “miracle” was her last hope in their marriage and she knew that once it didn’t come true, the love between them was gone. They both loved each other, but it came to be a love that was artificial. Nora had stated that Helmer had loved her the same way that her father had loved her. To them, she was a doll. The play’s name A Doll’s House holds significance by representing the life that Nora and in general, how every womaen liveds in the 19th century. She feels like she is a “plaything,” something to dress up, and to show off. She isn’t really living a real life, she’s living a life that people perceive as perfect. A
Significance – The setting is important since it is a private environment and away from the general public. The Helmer’s living room is a place of safety for Nora where she feels comfortable telling Mrs. Linde about borrowing money.
Helmer also says he will not trust their children to Nora. Rereading the letter, Helmer notes that Krogstad returns the promissory note and regrets what he did. Helmer celebrates claiming that he is saved, and absolves his wife. Helmer feel sorry for Nora, for what she been through, her torment, saying that she loved him as "a woman should love her husband" (IBSEN, 2001), but without knowing the appropriate means to do so. Helmer also states that "feminine helplessness" is what attracts him as a man.
Nora intends on leaving Helmer because she doesn’t know who she is. She has been waiting eight years for a spark between the two, but in her mind it never happened. Helmer is trying to make her stay by telling her that she is be disgraced and shamed for leaving him and their children. But his words don’t hit her. She still intends on leaving that very night.
Nora is the beloved, adored wife of Torvald Helmer. He is well respected, and has just received a promotion to the bank manager. Torvald also obtains high moral standards but he is very controlling and materialistic. During the first scene the couple is discussing the issue of borrowing money. Torvald says to Nora "…you know what I think about that. No debts! Never borrow! Something of freedom’s lost-and something of beauty, too- from a home that’s founded on borrowings and debt. We’ve made a brave stand up to now, the two of us, and we’ll go right on like that the little way we have to."
This indicates how she considers upholding the ego of her husband together with their marriage. Nora is also caring from the effort she makes to ensure that the husband gets what the doctor recommended, a trip to the south (Act 1). She goes ahead to get a loan that haunts her later on in the play.
Though it seems contradictory, it is actually Torvald Helmer, Nora's husband, who cause Nora to refuse to submit to him. Torvald holds a very low opinion of Nora's ability to handle things for herself, and allows her almost no responsibility relating to the family outside of the trivial things in the home. His incessant use of his pet names, "songbird" and "squirrel" for example, trivialize her place in their home. However, when Torvald becomes ill, it becomes Nora's responsibility to provide for his recovery. Of course, Torvald, mustn't know anything about Nora borrowing money for his sake, which the situation demands. So Nora is thrown into a dilemma. Here her first decision to disobey her husband's wishes, in point of fact for the sake of her love for hi...
In its historical context A Doll’s House was a radical play which forced its audience to question the gender roles which are constructed by society and make them think about how their own lives are a performance for Victorian society.
Those of you who have just read A Doll's House for the first time will, I suspect, have little trouble forming an initial sense of what it is about, and, if past experience is any guide, many of you will quickly reach a consensus that the major thrust of this play has something to do with gender relations in modern society and offers us, in the actions of the heroine, a vision of the need for a new-found freedom for women (or a woman) amid a suffocating society governed wholly by unsympathetic and insensitive men.
Nora lives in a dream world, a child fantasy, where everything is perfect, and everything makes sense. She thinks that the world would never condemn a woman who tries to save her husband's life or protect a dying father. When confronted by Krogstad, who tells her it is against the law to sign someone else's signature, she responds: " This I refuse to believe. A daughter hasn't a right to protect her dying father from anxiety and care? A wife hasn't a right to save her husband's life? I don't know much about laws, but I'm sure that somewhere in the books these things are allowed." Nora simply does not understand the ways of the world, and the final realization that she is in real danger of risking hers and her husband's reputation, and worse, makes her snap out of the childish dream she had been living.
Ironically, Helmer himself is guilty of a similar crime, but this time, it's the consequence of the father. At the time women were treated as less, and although it isn’t against the law, treating others as below you is seen as moral fault in today’s society. Helmer’s ideologies are too attributed to his parent, but it's most likely his father. Although never explicitly mentioned, it can be assumed that Helmer watched his father treat his mother a certain way, and now he does the same with Nora. When faced with a situation where Nora angers him, Helmer reverts to what he observed from his father and exerts his superiority over Nora, forcefully holding her in place(220).
“A Doll’s House” gives the reader a firsthand view at how gender roles affected the characters actions and interactions throughout the play. The play helps to portray the different struggles women faced during the 19th century with gender roles, and how the roles affected their relationships with men as well as society. It also helps to show the luxury of being a male during this time and how their higher status socially over women affected their relationships with woman and others during this time period.
Nora and Helmer seemed to be a happy couple with their small problems. The way they would interact with one another constantly changed. They would have sudden arguments from small issues. Helmer had different nicknames for Nora, at times he would call her “my squirrel” or “little prodigal” and other times he would be kinder and call her “my dear little Nora”. Helmer yelled at Nora for being wasteful with money and then quickly said that he loves her the way she is calling her his “sweet little nark”. In their household Nora didn’t have a large role, she didn’t work and she took care of the children and her husband.
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
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.
...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.