A Dolls House-characterchanges
The opening line of the play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen is "Hide that Christmas tree away, Helen, the children mustn't see it before I've decorated it this evening" (1072) by Nora. This sets the tone of the play, which is concealing the raw truth until it is decorated to perfection. This is a common theme of the play, practiced by all of the main characters. As one critic commented, "Our first impressions of Nora, Torvald, and Krogstad are all eventually undercut". The first impressions of each are the facades they put up. As the play progresses, however, the truth is revealed. In the opening act, Nora seems flippant. She flutters around their city apartment preparing for Christmas and chattering about meaningless things with Torvald. She plays the innocent, helpless pet for her husband until they each get a visitor, and they part. An old friend of Nora's, Mrs. Linde, comes to Nora in need of assistance. In the course of their conversation, Nora reveals that in the past, when her husband was ill, she took out a loan to h
He has a dark past, involving scandal and slander. Nora changes from a mindless plaything to an intelligent, brave woman; Torvald changes from a strong, dominant husband to a petty, selfish man; and Krogstad changes from a manipulative bottom-feeder to a sympathetic lover. I am condemned to humiliation and ruin simply for the weakness of a woman" (1118). Torvald is still unaware of her previous actions. When he finally does learn of Nora's indiscretion, he thinks only of himself and her action's affect on his reputation. In the first two acts, Krogstad appears to be manipulative and deceitful. In Act Three, however, we learn that Krogstad was at one time in love with Mrs. These actions reveal a more independent side of Nora. He discovers that the signature of Nora's father was forged, and when Torvald is put in a position to dismiss Krogstad, Krogstad tries to blackmail Nora into helping him. This "petty selfishness" is quite different from his seemingly strong, proper facade. These transformations illustrate one of the major themes of the play- the unreliability of appearances. At the end of the play, Nora realizes the role that she and her husband play, and she even has the strength to leave him.
Common topics in this essay:
Nora's Linde,
Miss Independent,
Doll's House,
Krogstad Krogstad,
Hide Christmas,
Torvald Krogstad,
Linde Nora's,
Torvald Nora,
Miss Independent's,
Unreliability Appearances,
doll's house,
petty selfishness,
unreliability appearances,
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Acceptance Essays
