Analysis concepts and applications

Copyright ?2008

The character of Nora in Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House, is generally admirable because she becomes a woman starting to question the way both her father and husband always expected her to behave in life. However, her sudden decision to leave both her husband and children in order to establish her independence seems to have occurred too drastically. In doing this she is putting her family under too much strain and shock over her newfound independence. Torvald Helmer is simply a man of his time who felt that he was treating his wife the way their society expected him to. Therefore he did not deserve the agony of seeing his wife suddenly leave him because despite the way he treated her as being nothing more than a doll, he did possess genuine love and affection towards her. This was reflected in his willingness to change for the benefit of keeping their marriage intact. Krogstad was not a truly evil man but simply someone desperate to maintain his dignity in society. He only resorted to blackmailing the Helmers once he knew his reputation and livelihood were being endangered by them. Before then he was content to overlook Nora's indiscretion regarding the bond. Through the character Nora it was shown that women during that time were generally not supposed to live and think freely on their own. They were expected to simply be content with taking care of their families and to not pursue any endeavors outside the home. The character Mrs. Linde therefore was shown to lead a very unconventional life as a woman of her time since she worked outside and had no normal family obligations. The play's realistic approach contributes to its power by making it be more agreeable to reality. Instead of showing characters living happily ever after once a problem is solved it shows that complications, such as Nora's sudden desire for independence, can arise just like they often do in the real world. Audiences can thus relate more readily to the play's message.