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Nora's Freedom Is Bound By Ibsen

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Nora's Freedom People are always bound by something in life; it could be other people, obligations, debt, health or many other things. The book “A Doll’s House” shows the reader a multitude of ways people are not free no matter how rich or poor. Nora Helmer in “A Doll’s House” is bound by her “sacred duties” of being a daughter, wife, and mother. Nora's very first obligations were to her father and she was like property to him. He would play with her and loved her like any other father loves his daughter but treated her like a doll that he just owned. She could not even borrow money without his signature. “Below your signature I added a few lines making your father security for the loan” (Ibsen, 1146). Krogstad said this, he did …show more content…

Torvald has the same ownership over Nora that her father had. “Marriage was described as 'legalised prostitution' or slavery”(Forward). Nora was similar to a slave to torvald, he told her what to do, what to wear, and even how to dance. Nora loved her husband even though he treated her more like his pet than a wife. He called her many pet names like: squirrel, songbird, and wastrel. Torvald got sick and the doctor told Nora she needed to take him on a vacation so he would be able to heal. This is more evidence that people at this time did not understand medicine. However, As his wife she had a duty to keep him alive and healthy, but they did not have the money. Nora, without telling Torvald or her dying father, borrowed the money to “save” her husband's life. She had to borrow a few thousand dollars and did not have her own job. Now Nora was not only bound to Torvald because she was his wife but she also has this debt because of him that she can not pay without him. She saved the money Torvald gave her to make the payments, which meant she could not spend hardly any on herself. She also had to do so without being obvious that it was going somewhere else. She was bound by this debt and when Torvald did not give her enough money to make the payments she had to pick up small jobs that she was not legally allowed to be

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