Instead of needing his help and protection, Torvald finds out that it was only Nora's role playing and really she was capable of working and doing deceptive things. Torvald's response to the letter shows that he has very little self-awareness and really thought that the "role-plays" were reality.
5. Torvald believes that marriage and family are important, and that the man or husband is in control. Torvald thinks that men should make all of the choices and that they must protect and watch out for their families, particularly their wives. Torvald had already made up his mind to fire Krogstad since he saw Krogstad as a bad person. When Nora tried to change his mind he probably thought she was weak or stupid or a little of both. He seemed to resent her trying to get involved with his work and his decisions, as women were not meant to have any say beyond the home. When he later wants to keep up appearances, it shows that he thinks of his wife as a trophy or something that makes him acceptable in society, rather than his equal or even his friend. This shows him as a man who values marriage as something for look, not for love.
6. Nora plays with her children and acts like a child herself. Her childlike behavior in the long run hurts her children since they are left motherless after it is found that she is not really that childlike person. Nora also makes the choice to take care of her husband over her father, showing that she is not a good daughter or a good mother. AS previously mentioned, Dr. Rank is suffering and dying from the sins of his father. Because his father was not faithful, Dr. Rank will die even though he has not done anything wrong. Like in Nora's case, Dr. Rank is a child who will suffer because their parent made bad choices.
7. Nora shows the most about individual growth, marriage, and social convention...
Her transition from childlike wife to independent woman shows Ibsen's ideas about what choices women have. Ibsen also seems to be critical of marriage through the marriages shown in the play. Because of all of the lying and the lack of love on Torvald's part, Ibsen shows that marriage and the social conventions behind it are a big sham. In this way it is Nora, who breaks these conventions, who shows Ibsen's feelings on the subject.
8. A Doll's House is more like a tragedy than a comedy. In it we see a family that seems to be happy but really there are many lies. Nora has lied about who she is and what she has done. Torvald has not lied but misrepresents himself, acting like he cares for Nora when really he cares more about how he looks to other people. Torvald does not change in the end, but Nora does. This is tragic, since Torvald could stand to improve and Nora must leave on her own, abandoning her children. Nora leaving could be looked at as a good thing, since she has discovered the truth about herself, her husband, and her life. Even though she is probably better off knowing the truth, her life will probably be harder and so it seems like a negative conclusion for Nora. Torvald, too, seems to have a negative ending. He is left to be a single parent. His concern that he will look bad to others will also make him unhappy, since he will have to make excuses for why his wife left. Ibsen's moral for Torvald seems to be that he should not care so much what other people think. As for Nora, Ibsen implies that women should not act like children just to please their husband's need for control.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Trans. William Archer. 1879. 8 Dec. 2006 http://wlac.etudes.fhda.edu/etudes/courses/westla/spring2004/WLAC_THEATER100_ZURLA/downloads/DollsHouse_full01.pdf.
