Nora, Beginning to End; The Symbol of Feminism

Nora, Beginning to End; The Symbol of Feminism

Nora, Beginning to End; The Symbol of Feminism

A Doll House, written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879, is considered a landmark in drama for its portrayal of realistic people, places, and situations. During the Victorian era women had few civil liberties and were treated with far less respect than men. In a situation of marriage, such as the one Ibsen created in A Dolls House, the husband Torvald regarded his wife Nora as a foolish child, mandating all her actions and calling her demeaning pet names. Nora takes these demeaning comments in stride, using them to her advantage. She further uses the limited way Torvald sees her, to create great deception. She seizes any opportunity in which she is treaded as unintelligent to manipulate and deceive.   She successfully plays the part of the weakened house wife to achieve any means she pleases. Nora embodies feminist ideals from beginning to end of the play through her control and manipulation.

Nora is continually demoralized through her husbands continued uses of pet
names. Her husband also attempts to control and create rules that Nora is to follow. However, these limitations placed upon Nora have little impact on how she acts and what she achieves. In this particular scene Nora approaches Torvald with the idea of some extra holiday spending money, which he initially refuses to grant, but Nora comes away victorious.
“Helmer: … Never borrow! Something of freedoms lost-and something of beauty, too-from a home that’s founded on borrowing and debt…
Nora: (going toward the stove) Yes, whatever you say Torvald.
Helmer: (following her) Now, now, the little lark’s wings mustn’t droop. Come on, don’t be a sulky squirrel. Nora, guess what I have here?
Nora: (turning quickly) Money.(44)” Though this series of dialog Nora manipulates Torvald into giving her the money he previously had said she could not have. She plays up to Torvald’s expectations of how a hurt woman would act to make him feel bad, and submit, and give...