Nora in Isben's A Doll's House

             The capricious character of Nora, of Isben's A Doll's House, is particularly difficult to interpret. Her character is constructed by the combination of a number of varying traits. Throughout Act 1 her ambiguity is particularly prominent. Her frivolous, playful moments are readily followed by moments of practicality and astuteness. Her inconsistent moods mean as readers, we are forced to reconsider her character at every contradicting suggestion. It is not surprising that Nora is such a changeable character for she is constantly interchanging between three main roles: a supporting wife, a fundamental mother and a sexual being.
             Ibsen uses the metaphor of a doll inside a dollhouse to portray Nora's attempt to become an individual while confined inside a male-dominated world. Her wish to become self-motivated is obstructed by Torvald's power over her. Nora's home is the realization of domestic bliss, preserved and presented like "A Doll's House." Lacking experience of life in the real world and oblivious to the outdoor hardships, Nora is vulnerable. She enters muffled in protection from the outside, portrayed symbolically through her coat, scarf, etc.
             Immediately, Nora appears childlike and coquettish. She orders Helene in an excitable tone to hide the Christmas tree as the children "mustn't see it till tonight." Nora's secretiveness in wanting to hide the tree extends further and is a constant theme. Following Torvald's light-hearted interrogation with regard to whether she has had any macaroons, she becomes nervous and lies, "No Torvald, I promise...No No...Torvald I swear." Of course, this is particularly important as the entire play rotates around Nora's "big secret." With the entrance of Krogstad, Nora's sense of fun abandons her. Her attempt to enforce her social superiority over him is genuinely intimidated. In her ambitious attempt to be superior she states "one isn't without influence". However, within moments she is forced i...

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Nora in Isben's A Doll's House. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:13, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/39625.html