Nora's Transformation
In the play A Doll's House, Henrik Isben tells us the life of the loving wife Nora. Controlled like a doll her whole life, Nora must question everything she believes in when her marriage is put to a true test. Having borrowed money from Krogstad, a man with a bad reputation, and by forging her father's signature, she was able to save Trovald, her sick husband by taking him on a yearlong trip to Italy. Trovald was completely unaware of Nora's transaction with Krogstad. She led him to believe the money for the trip came from her father's will. For if he knew the truth she fears her husband would lose his social standings. Since then, she has had to scheme ways to pay Krogstad back the loan without her husband's knowledge. Isben uses symbolism to reveal Nora's changing attitudes about herself in her attempt to become an individual while trapped in a male dominated world. But her wish to become self-reliant is hindered by Torvald's control over her. She comes to understand that she lacks experience of life in the real world and is oblivious to the real world problems. "..., Nora comes in, humming gaily...... Nora is not mean with her money: the porter charges 6d, she gives him 1/. She is childish - she still loves macaroons - she
Nora's ball dress symbolizes the role she plays in her marriage to Torvald. When Nora first sees the dress, it is torn in little pieces. This represents how Nora's life currently is, as well as how she feels. She feels imprisoned because she cannot tell Torvald the truth about where she got the money. Nora decides to be freed from all of her lies, in a sense, to take off the mask she has been wearing for her husband. "Taking off my fancy dress" (Act 3, sp 256) After Nora comes home from the party, she decides to take the dress off: "Yes, Torvald, I have changed my things now" (Act 3, sp 258). "At this moment, Nora seems to perceive her own correlation between her desire and the symbolic Father to whom she constantly turned for her own salvation. Once she learns the truth, ... that Trovald has no intention of sacrificing himself for her, ..."(Shidler, 283). Upon figuring this out, she decides to free herself from all lies. It is then she feels strong enough to tell Torvald the truth. is not above concealing the fact from her husband: all this we learn about Nora, in the first few seconds with hardly one important word spoken. Isben obviously means to make us use our imagination to construct his characters from small points in the stage picture and stage action."(Northam, 100) Nora is susceptible. She enters muffled in protection from the outside, portrayed symbolically through her coat, scarf. Ibsen h
Some common words found in the essay are:
Italy Trovald, Krogstad Nora, Torvald Christmas, Torvald Nora, Yes Torvald, Ibsen Nora, Christine Act, Nora Controlled, John Northam, David Drake, 1 sp, act 1, act 1 sp, tell torvald truth, torvald truth, husband taking, 3 sp, act 3, tree symbolic, real world, act 3 sp, learn nora, christmas tree,
Approximate Word count = 951
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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