A Doll House Essay
A Doll House Essay
A reader’s initial view of A Doll House is extremely conventional. In the nineteenth century, a women was expected to be a stereotypical subservient house wife. The play portrays Nora as this from the beginning until her awakening. Nora’s “unconventional free and wild thinking” allow the reader to value the work for its encouragement for women to be less of the stereotype and break away from the norm. Nora begins the play as Torvald’s “doll” but ends as an individual thinker by leaving her husband and children. Nora’s awakening allows her to be viewed as a free thinking women for her time. Ibsen’s portrayal of Nora by the end of the play expresses his idea of a women thinking on her own.
The start of the play portrays Nora as Torvald’s pet. Nora follows his every order, does tricks for him, so to speak, and allows Torvald to appear as a parental figure. Their home portrays a common aspect of society at this time. Women were viewed as possessions for men to take care of, and it was thought that women could not survive without the help of a man. This aspect of society is clearly portrayed at the beginning of the play. This almost too conventional portrayal makes Nora appear to be a weak and naive woman. Torvald calls Nora by pet and animal names. In present times, this is almost obnoxious, making the reader want Nora to not allow this. Instead, Nora willingly plays the role of the typical subservient housewife, allowing her to easily be compared to a child. As Torvald gives money to Nora, it seems like allowance being given to a daughter. Nora has had a sheltered life thus far. She has always been taken care of whether it be by her father or Torvald. The reader can recognize this when Nora speaks to Mrs. Linde. Mrs. Linde is going through a rough time in her life, but Nora believes everything can be fixed so easily. She thinks Mrs. Linde should go to a resort to rest when Mrs. Linde is having difficulty even supporting herself financially. Nora appears thoughtless towards Mrs. Linde but most likely is not thinking realistically. Nora believes there are few worries in her life just as...