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.
