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The role of nora in a doll's house
Theme of individualism in a doll's house
The role of nora in a doll's house
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In a world where individuality is drained from everyone’s hearts, and they’re forced to be the perfect, carbon copy of each other, everyone becomes a victim. Nora was just a caring person who had her heart in the right place; however, she was ignorant to how the world worked because she was just a married woman. Krogstad and Linde were a couple that had their relationship torn apart due to Kristine Linde not being able to afford money to help her mom, and she couldn’t get a job because she was just a woman. Torvald tried to be the perfect man that he could achieve, but he only ended up tearing his own life apart. The nineteenth century has stealthily destroyed everyone’s lives in A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. Nora was a woman of the nineteenth century, which meant she had to yield to everything her husband does and says. “Nora, you know what I think about that. No debts! Never borrow! Something …show more content…
Unfortunately, Kristine Linde was a woman in the nineteenth century, which determines that she cannot hold a job of her own unless if she was single or a widow. Needless to say, Linde was financially unstable, so she had to leave her love in order for her mother to get treatment and live. Krogstad was devastated, and his whole personality became twisted and warped. In the beginning of the play, he was labelled the main antagonist; however, this isn’t the case. He’s just a victim of society like everyone else in this play. At the end of the play, Linde and Krogstad had an honest talk with each other and became a couple again. “Kristine-you’re saying this in all seriousness? Yes, you are! I can see it in you. And do you really have the courage, then-?” (Ibsen 925). They were both thrilled to be back together, but there was still the issue with the Helmers. Linde wanted Krogstad to leave the letter in Torvald’s mailbox, and he did, which really shows how they are equal in their
Nora is a perfect example of a women from that time period, having to live under their husbands supervision and obey orders. Her husband called her names that undermined
Linde is an example of a woman acting predatory with her jealously and advancing herself as the motive for her actions. When Nora and Mrs. Linde are catching up on each other’s lives, Mrs. Linde tells Nora of the hardship in her life and says, “No one to work for, and yet you’re always having to snap up your opportunities. You have to live; and so you grow selfish” (Ibsen 2192). This emphasizes the nature of predatoriness in this society that is necessary to live within it. Mrs. Linde mentions that she has struggled to find work and garners Nora’s sympathy to then follow up and ask Nora if Torvald could possibly find her a job. Through Mrs. Linde, Ibsen illustrates this type of subtle predatoriness that is commonly used to advance oneself in his society. When Krogstad tells Mrs. Linde about his letter to Torvald, instead of stopping Torvald from getting the letter, and finding out Nora’s secret, she says, “Helmer’s got to learn everything; this dreadful secret has to be aired; those two have come have to come to a full understanding; all these lies and evasions can’t go on” (Ibsen 2222). Mrs. Linde gets exactly what she wants, a life similar to Nora’s with Krogstad, without having to cause any damage, but demonstrates predatory nature through acting with the intention to hurt Nora due to the jealousy she felt for Nora’s life. Ibsen suggests that many women want to get married and live the life of a life of a perfect housewife, but do not succeed in this, like Mrs.
...d children. The final mask of Krogstad that is seen is that of love and caring. In the end Kristine goes back to Krogstad stating that she always loved him and only left him because “I had a helpless mother and two small brothers. We couldn’t wait for you” (Ibsen, 1225). In the end it is Krogstad who has changed for the better, not Nora or Helmer. It is the very man that Torvald so easily condemned for his past mistakes.
Krogstad is different from Torvald because he is not as well off economically and socially and this leads him to try an extremer form of manipulation. Krogstad is desperate to keep his job at the bank and tries to get Nora to secure the job with her husband through blackmail. Since he was once found to be forging documents, his reputation has been flaky, so in order to regain his reputation for his sons: "For their sake I must win back as much respect as I can in the town" (22), he needs to keep his job at the bank.
Nora is the pampered wife of an aspiring bank manager Torvald Halmer. In a desperate attempt to saves her husband's life Nora once asked for a loan so she and her family could move somewhere where her husband could recover from his sickness. Giving the circumstances she, as a woman of that period, by herself and behind her husband forged her dad signature to receive the loan. Now, Nora's lender (Mr. Krogstad), despite her paying punctually, uses that fault as a fraud to pressure her so she could help him to keep his job in the Bank where her husband is going to be the manager. Nora finds out that Torvald would fire Mr. Krogstad at any cost. At learning this, Nora trembles for she knows Mr. Krogstad will tell everything to Torvald. She remains confident; however that Torvald will stand by her no matter what outcome. His reaction though is not what she expected and therefore here is when she realizes that she "must stand quite alone" and leaves her husband.
This leads Nora into a frenzy of techniques to convince her husband into not firing Krogstad, however; Nora had been the one who recommended Mrs Linde to work for Helmer, who is now the one replacing Krogstad. After many attempts, Nora is unable to convince Helmer to keep Krogstad. The last day she seems hopeless and willing to assume the consequences, she has a final opportunity at getting away with it; by finding out Mrs Linde and Krogstad have unsolved romantic affairs and that he is deeply in love with her. This new development convinces Krogstad to be with Mrs linde, but unfortunately the previous letter telling everything about the debt and forgery was already in Helmer’s mail. When the night comes for Helmer to read his mail, he finds out about the note and Nora’s mistakes, he is quick to think of a way to come up clean, while at the same time dishonoring Nora for her actions. “ Oh, what an awful awakening! In all these eight years-she who was my pride and joy-a hypocrite, a liar-worse, worse-a criminal” (Doll Act 3). Nora’s attitude at this point is guilt and shame. Soon after another letter is received. Krogstad sends the note, implicitly liberating them from all guilt and also attaches a letter apologizing and explaining the events that recently took place in his life,
In Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”, Nora Helmer portrays the Victorian English archetype of the “angel in the house”, otherwise known as the “doll” metaphor. In the Victorian age, the social construction of gender roles was much more traditional than contemporary gender roles; women had a clear role in society of which they could not escape. A major focus of social construction is to uncover the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the construction of their perceived social reality. As society is revolutionized, people individualize, freeing themselves from the constraints imposed by traditional societies. Nora Helmer represents an antecedaneous model of a feministic viewpoint in an oppressed position. Trapped in her role of the “doll”, Nora struggles to break free, her actions precipitated by her husband, Torvald’s, actions. Weintraub, in his ““Doll’s House” Metaphor Foreshadowed in Victorian Fiction” critical essay, depicts Shaw’s work and proposes the idea that the male protagonist has an immense impact on the female protagonist’s automorphism as “the doll” and the decisions she makes. In Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” Nora’s characterization and ultimate decision to leave can be seen as a struggle against the combination of Torvald and Society’s pressure to conform.
Torvald explained to Nora that keeping Krogstad on at the bank would appear to others that he is easily swayed by his wife. Torvald has also complained about Krogstad’s use of his first name at the bank. Of course, Torvald’s true feelings about his appearance come out explicitly during his fit of rage in the end. Torvald is excessively consumed with how others view him and has no moral objections to having his wife perform sultry dances in front of other men.
When Krogstad makes his first entrance, the audience senses that he portends evil. Nora “starts” and “trembles” at his voice (Ibsen). Dr. Rank says that Krogstad “suffers from a diseased moral character” (Ibsen). Torvald says that Krogstad has been “persistently poisoning his own children with lies and dissimulation” (Ibsen). It is obvious that Nora and Krogstad have a secret, but uncomfortable, relationship. Nora becomes nervous when she sees him, but pretends that she does not know who he is when speaking to others. Krogstad works at the bank where Torvald has just been appointed as director. Krogstad senses that he will be dismissed when Torvald assumes the supervision of the place. Therefore, he comes to Nora asking her to u...
an example of the individual’s struggle against society” (Mitchell 136). She was punished severely for something that could be considered a petty crime and the crime ultimately led to her and Torvald’s separation and her leaving the house. In addition, “Christine Linde and Nils Krogstad’s subplot ending in marriage happens at the same time as Nora’s break with Torvald.” (Davies 51) The sharp contrast between the two creates conflict within the audience members because Krogstad is being rewarded for blackmail as Nora is being punished for saving her husband’s life.
Torvald is extremely cautious about how he is perceived by other people. He would do anything to keep his honourable image, even if it involves him doing something dishonourable. Another way the relationship between Nora and Torvald will end is from Nora’s desire for her own identity. Even though it might seem that without Krogstad’s extortion plan, Nora would have never developed her need for an identity, but she has shown signs of a new identity well before Krogstad tried to extort Nora from his job.
Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House, there was great controversy over the out come of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a “housewife” reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Nora’s decision is very rational and well overdue.
The literary work, A Doll’s House, was written by Henrik Ibsen and has been a historical work of literature since the late 1800’s. There are many themes through out the story that impose the different ideals of the 1870’s. Many of the characters reflect the time period through the positions they hold, the activities they do, as well as how they behave and act. Torvald Helmer and his wife Nora traditionally represent the upper-middle class in the way they present themselves, what types of activities they engage in, as well as what they do as an everyday task.
Nora, seeing his true feelings about her, leaves him. The whole situation could have been avoided had Mrs. Linde let Krogstad ask for his letter back. Ibsen methodically builds and releases the suspense throughout the play, never being too melodramatic or over-the-top. The ebb and flow of the emotional feel of the play makes it more realistic and, in turn, the relatability of the play makes the suspense, as a reader, more believable. Works Cited for: Ibsen, Henrik.
Although Ibsen portrays A Doll House as a Realistic play due to the societal problems, which include women, illnesses, and laws; he attempts to address society and cause change within the Norwegian society without openly talking about these issues. The actions of characters, such as Nora, represent the fact that an individual can make progress in societal reform. Therefore, Ibsen’s identification and attempt to change society symbolizes a Realistic desire of finding solutions to problems. The ultimate goal of Realism is to better everyday life for the majority of people, while trying to deepen the understanding of society’s problems.