A Dolls House: Nora's Rebellion Against Society
Uploaded by DISABLED USER on Jul 05, 2004
The central theme of this play is Nora's rebellion against society and everything that was expected of her. Nora shows this by breaking away from all the standards and expectations her husband and society had set up for her. In her time women weren't supposed to be independent. They were to support their husbands, take care of the children, cook, clean, and make everything perfect around the house.
Nora's first rebellion was when she took out a loan so that she could pay for her husband, Torvalds medical treatment. It was against the law for women to take out a loan without their husbands consent. When she did this she proved that she wasn't as submissive and helpless as Torvald thought she was. He called her a "poor helpless little creature". A perfect example of Torvalds control and Nora's submissiveness was when she got him to re-teach her the tarantella. She already knew the dance but she acted as if she needed him to re-teach her the whole thing. When he says to her "Watching you swing and dance the tarantella makes my blood rush". This shows that he is more interested in her physically than emotionally. Then when she told him to stop he said to her, "am I not your husband?" Again, this is an example of Torvalds control over Nora, and how he thinks that she is there to fulfill his every desire on command. Torvald doesn't trust her with any money and with the little money that he does entrust her with he is afraid that she will spend it on Macaroons, a candy that he has forbid her to eat. He calls her his "little squirrel", "skylark", and he says she spends money very foolishly.
Nora's second rebellion was when she left Torvald and her children. The society she lived in demanded that she should submit to her husband and that she should take a place under him. Society considered women to be property of their husbands and that they should fulfil their every command. When Krogstad tries to blackmail Nora, and Torvald didn't even support her she realized that there was a problem. Then finally when Torvald realizes that his social stature will not be harmed he displays his real feeling for Nora, both physically and emotionally. It is at this time when Nora decides that she doesn't want to be controlled by Torvald anymore and...