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Characters and characterisation in a doll's house
Characters and characterisation in a doll's house
Characters and characterisation in a doll's house
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Traditional Ways Or Not
From generation to generation plays have become a major part of our existence. For some families customs and traditions can either make or break a family. Some family traditions mean a lot. However breaking a family custom can start major uproars or even serious altercations between family members. For some families fights and altercations cam also bring them closer as a family. In the play " A Doll House " written by Henrik Isben, conflicts and customs play important roles for the survival of the Helmer family.
For Nora Helmer growing up in the shadow of her husband Torvald and her father was Nora 's way of life. In the play " A Doll House " Nora is faced with a past mistake which leaves her in disbelief. Throughout the play Nora tries to hide the secret from her husband , but runs into a problem. Nils
Krogstad who was fired from the bank by Torvald is going to blackmail Nora if she does not help him get his job at the bank back. " When your husband was ill, you came to me to borrow two hundred and fifty pounds."
( Isben, 22). Nora must tell her husband Torvald that she has taken money without his consent, which in those days was against the law. Nora is faced with a very serious matter which can end her marriage if Torvald finds out about the loan. At the end of the play Torvald finds out about the loan which ends the marriage and breaks up the family for good. This shows how important family customs and traditions mean to the Helmer family.
To some people having a family means everything in the world. Nora on the other hand leaving her husband and children behind was easy to do. At the end of the play Nora Helmer leaves her family do to the fact that she does not love her Husband Torvald anymore. " No, I have never been happy. I thought I was, but it has never really been so. I must try to educate myself- you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now." ( Isben, 66). Nora feels that she has
been treated unfairly and needs to move on. Torvald forgives Nora, but it is not enough to keep her around any longer.
When Nora decided to leave her marriage behind this ended up being a turning point in Torvald’s attitude to Nora. While at first he was convinced that she would not really go calling her actions insane and childish, he is now taking what she says seriously and even offering to change for her. This shows that there is a part of Torvald that does perhaps truly love Nora. Although Torvald doesn’t want her to go, the fact that he agrees to give her his ring and not argue with her shows that he finally respects her wishes and ability to make decisions for herself.
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
Nora Helmer was a delicate character and she relied on Torvald for her identity. This dependence that she had kept her from having her own personality. Yet when it is discovered that Nora only plays the part of the good typical housewife who stays at home to please her husband, it is then understandable that she is living not for herself but to please others. From early childhood Nora has always held the opinions of either her father or Torvald, hoping to please them. This mentality makes her act infantile, showing that she has no ambitions of her own. Because she had been pampered all of her life, first by her father and now by Torvald, Nora would only have to make a cute animal sound to get what she wanted from Torvald, “If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very, prettily” (Ibsen 34) she said.
In the beginning of the play, the readers witness Nora as a happy wife who has absolutely no fear of her future. Her husband has a high post job at the bank, income is high, and her family is “perfect” in every way. Nora is living the life every girl dreams of, and she is very well aware of it. However, as you continue with the play, the reader is able to indicate that Nora has been putting up a front, not only for her husband, but also for the sake of her societal status. In all actuality, Nora has proficiently hidden her anxiety for the deprivation of money to pay off her debts to Krogstad. Torvald Helmer, Nora’s husband, is wealthy and does not have to struggle with the burden of debt. However, Nora was financially poor before her marriage, and she is currently emotionally and financially poor because of her marriage. With the burden of the debt, and with Torvald being such a stickler with money, Nora has found herself in a conflict in which she will desperately do anything to get out of. As the play
Henrik Ibsen uses his play, A Doll’s House, to challenge the status of the typical marriage and question feminist equality. Ibsen makes an example of the Helmer marriage by exposing social problems within society. The play ends without any solutions, however, Ibsen does offer women possibilities. Nora is a heroine among women, then and now.
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.
At the beginning of the play, Nora and Helmer’s relationship appears to be a typical marriage in the 1800s. Helmer, as the man, is the head of the house and Nora is portrayed as the naïve, “spendthrift” wife who has no dealings with the financial situation of the family. However, as the story evolves, a different side of Nora emerges. She attempts to conform to society’s views of gender roles in order to keep her “beautiful and happy home” and fears that telling her husband about what she did will “completely upset the balance of [their] relationship” (891). ...
Nora was the main character who wanted to be free and make her own decisions in life. Her husband Torvald thought of Nora as a careless child who couldn’t make her own decisions and constantly needed guidance. They never had an equal partnership in their relationship. Nora was always inessential and Torvald was the significant one. They were once very poor and Nora tried taking action by illegally borrowing money to move to Italy and support the family at that time. At the end of the play Torvald freaks out on Nora after she finally informed him about Dr. Rank’s upcoming death. “Ah! What a rude awakening for me! For eight years my pride and joy, a hypocrite, a liar, even worse, a criminal! (Pg. 763 Line 378)” Torvald was very upset with her and his emotions changed drastically in a brief moment after receiving another letter from Mrs. Helmer. The letter was about Nora’s contract being returned and there is no longer the thought of fear for her fraud. Torvald settles down and is in complete joy at this moment from his wife helping him. However, Nora states that they both never understood each other until now and after eight years of marriage they finally talk seriously. She said that he never loved her and he thought that it was fun to be in love with her. “No, just having fun. You’ve always been very nice to me. But our home has never been anything but a playpen. I’ve been
Lastly, the amount of deception and dishonesty between Nora and Torvald would have broken the marriage even without Krogstad’s extortion plot. Both Nora and Torvald are living in a world of lies, and both of them are not honest with each other and themselves. In the beginning of the play, Torvald and Nora are portrayed to be a perfect couple with a perfect life. Nora is seen returning home after a day of shopping and is greeted lovingly by her husband. Even though they seemed to have had some financial troubles in the past, Torvald just received a new job as a bank manager and everything seemed to be alright, but behind the scenes nothing was alright.
...r had a serious conversation. Nora explains her own pains as she has never been understood by any man. Nora leaves as she explains her own life. She shuts the door and there is no certainty that she will return as Torvald realizes. Torvald gains hope as he realizes that if he transforms into a better man he may have a hope of getting Nora back.
...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.
Nora had to leave or she would never flourish and be liberated as an independent woman. This is found toward the end of the play. When Torvald forgives his upset wife for forging her ...
After asking his wife if she understands what she has done Nora answers “[Looking squarely at him, her face hardening] Yes. I am beginning to understand everything” (835). This statement might be the key phrase of Nora’s realization. The double- meaning implies Nora’s understanding of the actual situation as well as her awareness that her marriage, even though it conforms with social expectations, is far from perfect. She now doubts the depth of her love for Torvald and becomes calm with comprehension as she begins to recognize the truth about her marriage. While she expects compassion for her sacrifice, she is none given. Instead of sacrificing anything to help Nora out of her predicament, Torvald is only worried about himself and appearances. It becomes very clear, after the second letter from Krogstad arrives, that her well-being always comes second “I’m saved. Nora, I’m saved! You too, of course” (836). Throughout the conversation with Torvald, Nora finally realizes, she needs to rearrange her life and priorities to be happy. This implies independence and self-awareness. While Nora finally understands the situation, she is in and what she needs to do but Torvald defines her new attitudes as madness “You’re ill, Nora; you’re feverish; I almost think you’re out of your mind” (840). “However, the characterization has been tied to the fact that she is breaking taboos or challenging conventions” (Langås 160). Torvald is still stuck in his fantasy world of how a wife should talk and act per his standard and the society he stands for. “Nora still has no way of knowing that she is not endangering her children with her presence and in the end, she feels impelled to leave, and her decision is less an act of defiance against her husband and society than an attempt to save the lives of her children” (Brooks
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."
As the play goes on, Nora seems to transform from her delicate little character into something much more. At the end of act one, Krogstad goes to Nora for the recollection of the money she had borrowed from him. "You don?t mean that you will tell my husband that I owe you money?" (21). Since Nora was wrong in doing so socially, she could not tell Torvald or anyone else about her problem. Not only would that affect their social standard but also Torvald's ego, which inevitably would happen anyway. After Krogstad threatens to expose Nora for forging her father's signature, she realizes that no matter what she does Torvald was going to know the truth. The flaw with...