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Nora's Secret in A Doll's House Essay

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A Dolls House

Nora is the main character all throughout the first act of A Doll House. She has several different qualities that both work together and against one another to build up her character in this play. The two most prominent are her as a child, and as both a manipulator and one who has been manipulated. Nora is seen as a doll or child throughout this play. She is treated this way because of the way she acts. She will clap her hands when she gets excited about something, and is often humming and moving all around. Noras character can be controversial. Noras attitude toward her husband Torvald Helmer is very young as well. Torvald had always treated her this way because he regarded for her as a squirrel, which demonstrates that he does not believe her capable of dealing with adult matters such as finances and health crises. Instead of treating her as a wife or adult, Torvald lectures her on posturing, child rearing, and even dancing. By the end of the story, when he is hit with the knowledge of Noras complicated effortsto save his life, he chooses to take aim and talk at her, rather than discussing her reasoning and emotional state when she made the choice she did by getting a secret loan.

Throughout the play I felt that she couldnt take care of herself without her husband by her side. I didnt really know what to think of Nora at the beginning of the play. Noras hidden strength is shown the most toward her husband. She is determined to do whatever it takes to save his life. Nora loves her husband and makes many sacrifices throughout the play. Most people wouldnt have the courage to do some of the things she did. I think her strength and courage, though hidden, led me to realize her real image.

Marriage today is far more complex. In the 1950s and earlier, roles for men and women were clearly defined. Each partner knew what was expected of him or her. People referred to men's work and women's work. If each partner filled those explicit expectations, there was a reasonably good chance that the marriage would endure. Even personality styles were prescribed. Men were supposed to be strong, silent, competent, unemotional, problem-solvers, good providers, handy around the house and protectors. Women were supposed to be good cooks, competent housekeepers, seamstresses, social, religious and nurturers. Men and women cut each other a great deal of slack in other areas, so long as each played by the prescribed rules and played their socially defined roles.

With the technological evolution, the women's movement and increased life expectancy, came a profound change in these static, traditional roles. In Ibsens A Doll House, the tragic hero is not as easily distinguished. However, despite similarities between the plights of Nora and Torvald, Nora proves a better candidate. A character of wealth, Nora clearly fits the traditional characteristic of a tragic heros high state of being. The one flaw that Nora has is her inability to discern reality from illusion. From the beginning of the play, Noras rather giddy and childish behavior expresses a rather suspicious state of happiness to the audience.

Despite her husbands rather oppressive name-calling, giving her names like little skylark, featherbrained woman, and helpless little mortal, she expresses a false sense of happiness through her constant charades of dancing and laughing with her husband (l). Her inability to live truthfully is a testament to her inability to tell Torvald the true farce that has embodied their marriage for eight years. Because of this flaw, the conflict between reality and illusion becomes so out of control that saving the marriage would be impossible to do.

Nora is forced to relinquish everything in her life: her home, her marriage, and her children. Noras downfall not only involves losing everything, but she becomes thrown into the real world, where she will be shunned for breaking the social contract of wifehood and motherhood. Though Nora experiences a tragic reversal of fortunes, plunged into loneliness and scorn from society, again, like Oedipus and Creon, her downfall is not a complete loss. She, too, has a catharsis and realizes that her life has been a charade, and though she may have to start life over amidst the angry jury of society, she realizes that she must learn to find herself, so as not to live falsely again.

Nora and Torvald were lacking one thing in their relationship, communication. Being able to communicate is one of the greatest assets in any relationship. Being able to articulate our thoughts and being certain that the listener understands what you wish to say takes considerable practice. Often we believe we are saying one thing, while the listener is hearing something entirely different. The listener often is responding to either what they believed you to say or their own interpretation. Communication requires both good transmission skills (articulation) and good receptive skills (listening). Without both, communication will be at best difficult.

Noras inability to live truthfully is a testament to her inability to tell Torvald the true farce that has embodied their marriage for eight years. Because of this flaw, the conflict between reality and illusion becomes so out of control that saving the marriage would be impossible. Nora is forced to relinquish everything in her life: her home, her marriage, and her children. Noras downfall not only involves losing everything, but she becomes thrown into the real world, where she will be shunned for breaking the social contract of wifehood and motherhood.

Despite all of these changes, most people enter marriage carrying with them many of the same beliefs appropriate for the previous traditional marriage. Their consciousness has not caught up with the reality of the times. Hence, when they marry they often find that their traditional beliefs are ineffective, leaving them with few guidelines on how to be in a marriage. Today's marriages, more than any time in history, depend more upon communication, intimacy, relating, compromise, negotiation and understanding.

Noras downfall is not a complete loss. She too, has a catharsis and realizes that her life has been a charade, and though she may have to start life over amidst the angry jury of society, she realizes that she must learn to find herself, so as not to live falsely again. Nora faces a new problem when Krogstad comes to her home and demands that she speak to Torvald for him. Krogstad wants to keep his job at the bank to gain back his reputation for the sake of his sons. Nora worries that Krogstad would tell her husband about the loan, but Krogstad informs her about the serious crime she has committed. He speaks of "an indiscretion" that he committed, which never went to court, but made it difficult for him to advance in his career. Forging her father's signature on the promissory note, Krogstad informs Nora was the same serious offense that caused him to lose his reputation.

Nora cannot imagine a law that would not approve of a wife saving her husband. "...I do not know much about the law, but I am certain that there must be laws permitting such things . . . " At her husband's return home, Nora discovers Torvalds opinion of Krogstad's reputation. Torvald does not want Nora to have anything to do with Krogstad because ". . . a guilty man has to lie and play the hypocrite . . . how he has to wear a mask in the presence of . . . those dear to him, even . . . his wife and children." "And about the children . . . the most terrible part of it all . . . " Torvald goes on stating, "Because such . . . atmosphere of lies infects and poison the whole life of a home." These comments by Torvald about Krogstad astonish Nora, making her fear telling him her secret.

Nora's secret crime confessed to Christine Linde, a childhood friend, had been to save her deathly ill husband's life by borrowing money. She borrowed the money from Krogstad, without getting her husband's permission. As Nora and Christine palaver about their lives, Nora explains the financial hardships they had. "...Torvald left his office . . . There was no prospect of promotion . . . during the first year he overworked himself dreadfully . . . but he could not stand it, and fell dreadfully ill. When Nora makes her most significant choice at the plays end, surely we are supposed to view her as a stronger woman, no longer a doll. However, Noras attitude and her execution do not seem to have changed at all. One can almost hear her saying to herself, I will show my resolve faceI will not change my mind no matter what because I need to be right about something! What is missing, however, is any indication that Nora has thought her move through. Where will she live? How will she survive? How will she pay back her debt? What responsibility does she have to her childrennot because society or Torvald expects her to feel connected to them, but because she does in her own self? The stage directions Ibsen gives us here show a Nora who is independent, has a strong side and able to live on her own.

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