A doll house by Henrik Ibsen is a modern drama whose characters fail to
understand who they really are. The theme of self-discovery can be viewed throughout
the entire play. Nora’s character plays an important role in self-discovery. She is a
dynamic character who proves at the end of the play that she accept and discovers who
the true Nora is.
The play begins with a direct emphasis on Nora and her husband (Torvald)
relationship. One can easily assume that their relationship is based on material things and
status. It appears that money is the one thing which is keeping their marriage what is
considered to be happy. Throughout the first act Torvald immediately begins referring to
his wife with childlike names. In the first opening lines he refers to Nora as “my
squirrel.” Throughout the play, Torvald continues to uses nick names such as “little song
bird”, “skylark”, “odd little one” and many more belittling names. The usage of the above
nicknames shows that Torvald feels superior to Nora. He wants to keep her small and
under him. For this reason, he continues to refer to Nora in this manner throughout the
play. Torvald and Nora’s relationship can be viewed at first as a happy and pleasant one.
At the same time one may view their relationship as that of the ordinary. Torvald does
not see Nora as an equal. He fails to realize that she is a woman and not a child. He
continues to speak to her in a childish manner because he views her for her appearance
and not for who she really is. It is clearly presented that Torvald takes his position as being superior because he feels that Nora is dependent on him. He believes she is
narrow minded and ignorant because she is a woman.
In the first act it is also indicated that money plays an important role throughout
the play. Nora proves to be an insensitive and self-centered woman when she is visited by
her old friend Mrs. Linde. Her first ignorant questions were whether Mrs. Linde husband
left her any money or children. Mrs. Linde states that she was left penniless and that she
has struggled. Nora being the self-centered person that she is begins bragging of her good
fortune and forgets to acknowledge Mrs. Linde struggles. The above scene provides a
vivid understanding of the type o...
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...actions he becomes enraged. He worries about
the effect this will have on his reputation and not on the consequences his wife may have
to face. Through the unraveling of this secret is that Nora is finally able to understand
who she is. Nora realizes that Torvald never loved her for who she was but for the things
she did. Torvald loved her because she allowed him to play and control her as if she were
real a doll. Nora begins to also understand that the love Torvald shared for her was the
same to that of her father. Everything was based on what they felt was entertaining and
not on loving Nora for who she is. The end of Act III brings Nora to a complete self-
discovery. Nora has come to understand herself and the ones around her life.
In conclusion, A Doll House is a modern drama which is derived on self-
discovery and understanding. Nora had to take a stand and do something on her own in
order to realize that she is capable of being independent. Through her actions she was
able to discovery that there is more to her life than being a passive and untrue person.
Nora was finally able to come to terms and let out her true self.
When Torvald finds out about the crime that Nora commits, he completely disregards the fact tha...
Before examining the war hero turned politician, an examination must be made into the life of the man that was Wade Hampton III. Born on March 28, 1818, in historic Charleston, South Carolina, Wade Hampton III was bred into the lap of luxury. Hampton was born to Dragoon and Revolutionary War Wade Hampton II, husband of Charleston native and richest women in the Charleston area, Ann Fitzsimmons Hampton. Hampton grew up in a home suited for a king. He never had a worry or a care about anything in the whole world. Wade Hampton through his childhood years before university received only the best of individualized instruction and spent most of his free time in an aristocratic manner. Hampton’s childhood was spent in lavish homes across both South and North Carolina, spending tremendous amounts of time at his family mountain estate, High Hampton.
that Nora is in every scene to show how she has adapted to living her
In the play, the audience sees it from Nora’s perspective. Nora is Torvald’s little squirrel, his little, insignificant squirrel. Nora is worthless to Torvald and she only realizes in the end how foolish she is to think that he will
lived with and was raised by her father and the maid. She never had a
This shows that Torvald is more interested in Nora physically than emotionally. He feels that it is one of Nora's main duties as his wife to physically pleasure him at his command.
Although Krostad’s blackmail does not change Nora’s whimsical nature, it opens her eyes to her underappreciated potential. “I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald,” (Find a different quote perhaps?) she exclaims in her confrontation with Torvald. She realizes that she has been putting on a facade for him throughout their marriage. Acting like someone she is not in order to fill the role that her father, Torvald, and society expected her to have.
Very early on in this part of the text, the reader is able to identify signs that show Torvald may not fully love Nora at this point. Torvald announced, “It is to get about now that the new manager has changed his mind at his wife’s bidding” (Ibsen 45). He is trying to say he will not listen to Nora because of what others will think. Even if people might not agree, he should still listen to his wife if he truly loved her. At the same time, Nora as begins to show she might not feel the same way about Torvald as she did before. Nora noted, “My husband must never get to know anything about this. Because she is wanting to hide something from Torvald, the reader is shown she does not fully love Torvald enough to even trust him. While it is shown that they do not feel the same way about each other, Ibsen does indicate that both Nora and Torvald do still somewhat love each other. Nora explains, “Torvald loves me; he would never for a moment hesitate to give his life for me” (Ibsen 50). This quote tells the reader directly that Torvald not only still loves Nora, but still loves her enough to give his life up for her. While their feelings towards each other have changed, they still care about one
...ome from different worlds, yet they still share the same type of sadness and pain in their everyday lives. What Nora does is considered courageous in that time in history, where women were not treated as equals and were always looked down on and ignored. Women speaking out and taking matters into their own hands was unheard of and often risky. They want to be independent so they do what they believe is necessary to accomplish and reach their goals, so that they can once again be happy for eternity.
...be good for herself and she would have less stress from all the things that he does to her, and wouldn’t have to deal with the way that he treats her. When the Nora and Torvald are married their incapable of realizing who they are as individuals.
Torvald calls Nora by pet-names and speaks down to her because he thinks that she is not intelligent and that she can not think on her own.
Torvald Helmer starts off the story with a new job as a bank manager. He has a wife Nora who does not have a job in the workforce since that was the man's role. Torvald even calls Nora pet names like "my sweet little lark" and "my squirrel”. These nicknames may seem to be harmless and cute, but in reality the names actually show how little he thinks of her and how he’s the one harnessing the power in the relationship. When Torvald says "my little squirrel" he is suggesting that he in fact owns Nora and that she is second-rate to him, since she is seen as little and as a squirrel which are usually frightened, non-threatening creatures. Torvald sees women as both child-like, helpless creatures detached from reality and who are responsible for taking care of the chores and children while staying inside the house.
A contrasting difference in the characters, are shown not in the characters themselves, but the role that they play in their marriages. These women have different relationships with their husbands. Torvald and Nora have a relationship where there is no equality. To Torvald Nora is an object. Hence, she plays the submissive role in a society where the lady plays the passive role. Her most important obligation is to please Torvald, making her role similar to a slave. He too considers himself superior to her.
...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs.
On the other hand, towards the end of the story, Nora exhibits the independence and