Examples Of Individualism In A Doll's House

It seems that for most of Nora's life she's been under the thumb of a man. Another noticeable difference that bounces off equality is the inability of Nora to work or do as she pleased. In a typical relationship now, it is expected that both the male and female work to provide for their family, as today’s society has adapted to allowing the male to not feel a constant pressure to provide as the responsibility is shared. In the present, research shows that more and more men are becoming stay-at home husbands, working from home and raising their children at the same time. A man that stayed at home whilst the woman worked was unheard of during the time of Nora’s and Torvalds relationship. Whereas during the time of Nora and Torvalds’s relationship, it was expected that the female took care of all the home keeping, whilst the male worked to support the family. Unlike a typical relationship in the present day, Nora had to go behind her husband’s back to work. In the novel, she mentions how she found work to do that occupied her late until night, even when tired she would work as it gave her pleasure to sit there working and earning

In A Doll House, Nora finds herself subordinate to her husband as well as the rules of society. Torvald forbids her from the consumption of macarons, bestows on her an allowance as if she were a child, persuades her to do as he wishes, dance like this, not like that, and she like a “good little lark” obeys his most every will. Her act of courage and independence, illegally taking out a loan to save his life, is seen as wrong in the eyes of society, while she sees it as necessary and forgivable; it is what a good wife should do for her husband.

Nora's second, and strongest, break from society's rules was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children.  Society demanded that she take a place under her husband.  This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like "worries that you couldn't possibly help me with" (Ibsen Page #), and "Nora, Nora, just like a woman" (Ibsen page #).  She is almost considered to be property of his: "Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure?  At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me - that's all my very own" (Ibsen page #)?  By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and destroys the very foundation of society's expectations of a wife and mother.  Nora also breaks society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era.  Her decision represented a break from all expectations placed upon a woman by society. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and treated as a possession by her husband. She is

Therefore, Nora is a very weak mother, wife, and woman. She is very weak and vulnerable because she is scared to live the way she wants to because she has no identity of her own. “Nora does not profess to be an intellectual companion to her husband, even if he wanted it.” (Scott221)

After reading the play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, Nora, the wife and mother of the Helmer family, decides she is leaving her husband and kids after she realizes what her marriage is. I believe her decision to leave her family and put her individuality as first priority is justified. She had noticed that she wasn’t being treated fairly as a human and could never be taken seriously always being referred to as less. Women’s gender roles and rights during the 19th century were minimal and overlooked as if they were only “dolls” which contributed to the reason the audience reacted in shock and disgust but inspired women. Undoubtedly times have changed from then and as a 21st century audience we agree with Nora’s decision because it she did

Nora is the main character of the play A Doll’s House, and her overall sense of helplessness coupled with her decisions that seem rash at first glance but become more reasonable after context and culture are taken into account enables her to become a character that effectively portrays how important and prominent gender roles were during the Victorian era in Norway. An example of her helplessness is how she has to turn to multiple people for help regarding a bank loan that she took out and how she is subservient to Torvald in every way. She has to ask Torvald for permission to do seemingly everything in her day-to-day life, indicating the prominence of gender roles and men being in control. It is important to note that this aspect of the play

Her first instinct is to feel pity for Mrs. Linde’s lack of children or husband, classifying her “utterly alone” state as “terribly sad” and inferior to the life she has with Torvald (Ibsen 8). This all changes, however, once Nora agrees to help Mrs. Linde. By binding herself to a woman instead of a man for the first time, she reaches a further state of awareness. When Mrs. Linde mentions Nora’s “lack of trouble and hardship” and calls her a child, Nora becomes defensive, alluding to her displeasure with her position in society (Ibsen 12). “You’re just like the rest of them,” she claims, “you all think I’m useless when it comes to anything really serious...” (Ibsen 12). The “them” and “you all” in Nora’s pivotal statement refers to the men who have bound Nora to the state of a useless doll in a dollhouse: dependent, incapable, and unenlightened—merely nice to play with and pretty to look at.

Nora Helmer is originally characterized as a trophy house-wife. She cooks, spends time with her children, and typically pretty. Her life seems indescribably normal, until we find her secret she has been keeping from everyone. During this time period, it was a patriarchal society, which left women with very little things to do that didn't require the permission of a man. In the play, Nora goes against societal expectations and files a loan without the approval of her husband.

In A Doll's house, there are many characters with a wide variety of different personalities and objectives. Even though there are many similarities between characters, there are just as many differences. Out of all the characters Torvald and Nora are the ones with the biggest differences in personality and opinions. Even though they are married and most of the time seem to have the perfect home life, it becomes easier to deduce throughout the drama that they are two completely different people that want different things out of their lives. Some main differences that Nora and Torvald have are the way that they perceive their self-image, what they want out of life, and the actions that they will take to overcome problems. (1)

Nora’s need for independence and self discovery are other things that stem from her socioeconomic status. Nora felt that her duties to herself were equally sacred during her quarrel with Torvald (905). Him saying, “you’re a wife and mother” made no difference to her (905). Her selfishness in wanting independence stemmed from a lifetime of living as a doll. She says, “When I lived with Papa… He used to call me his doll-child…then I came into your house and you arranged everything to your taste…It’s a great shame what you and Papa did to me. You’re to blame that nothing became of me” (903-904). Nora had been so accustomed to living by other’s standards that she lost herself in their lives. She had become used to having no opinion and input on

It would involve me in all sorts of unpleasantness-” (Ibsen 14). With this Nora is being threatened by a male who acts as if Nora is powerless and can't fend off issues without the help of her husband. “The a priori dismissal of women's rights as the subject of A Doll House is a gentlemanly backlash, a refusal to acknowledge the existence of a tiresome reality, "the hoary problem of women's rights," as Michael Meyer has it (457); the issue is decidedly vieuxjeu, and its importance has been greatly ex- aggerated” (Templeton 29). Despite what people say and what has been throw at the face of Nora she without question proved her place in society, making herself known to the people who pushed her down to the level of a

In the play A Doll’s House, the author,Henrik Ibsen, strove for the surge in feminine emancipation and the downfall of masculine egotism. The play explores women’s struggle to become independent. Nora wants to be more than just a housewife, but the sexist society in the play requires a married woman with children to be a housewife and nothing more. Nora is constantly talked down to by her husband Torvald and he confines her to the home. Nora tries to emancipate herself of Torvald’s oppression and the strict gender roles of society to achieve independence.

When Torvald’s stunning words reveal a harsh truth to his wife, Nora, she immediately closes the door to her marriage and family. In A Doll’s House, we find Nora rebelling against her husband Torvald and the institution of marriage due to the secrets that Nora kept from her husband for his sake, because she realizes her marriage was nothing but a false devotion for one another, and because she faces a reality that now is time for her to discover her own path in life and examine some of her newfound ambitions.

Nora breaks the notion that men dealt with all the money by taking out loans. Although she alienates herself from the woman stereotype, Nora keeps these actions a secret so that she can still fit in. This alienation helps Nora to realize that she is capable of doing a man’s job, which makes her a stronger and more independent woman. Nora makes major decisions for the sake of her family even though the head of the household, Torvald, was meant to do so. She tries to continue to be a part of the stereotype woman figure by keeping these decisions on the down low.

Thus she does want to disturb the societal order which keeps the husband at a dominant position as the master of the household, and the wife as a showpiece only to cater to his whims and fancies and be at a position no better than that of a child-bearer. As she is treated like a ‘doll’ by her father and then her husband, who spoil her with gifts and money as one does with a toy, she passes the same treatment to her own children whom she often refers to as her “dolly children”. As it is, Nora is not expected to be able to make any decisions on her own, not even insignificant ones, and she always has to be dependent on Torvald to help her out with everything. This is something that Torvald takes pride in and is often seen to be boastful of. Nora tells her husband that she “can’t get on at all without your help” and begs him to “direct me and put me right, as you used to do” (Act 2: Nora) and Torvald almost orders her to “be my own little lark again” whenever she does something “wild”. (Act 2: