Don't Be Plasticine. Don't Forget To Be The Way You Are.

A Doll’s House is the perfect title for Henrik Ibsen’s play. The play revolves around the relationship between Nora, a seemingly careless, yet truly cunning and thoughtful woman, and her condescending and domineering husband Torvald. At the beginning of the play the reader is tricked into believing that Nora, Torvald, and their three children live in a perfect world, only to see their true characters at the close of the play. Nora is the stereotypical housewife, both beautiful and easy going. Torvald is the model husband, hardworking and supportive. And the children are well-behaved, and have a strong relationship with their parents. The family, from the outside, is perfectly sculpted and put together. But like most dolls upon closer inspection, they are merely synthetic.

Nora Helmer has spent a large part of her married life concealing a secret, a secret that she believes she is protecting her husband by keeping to herself. So why then, if she is truly protecting her husband, does this secret lead to the deterioration of her marriage? By the end of the story, the reader realizes that Nora is not the typical housewife. She is not as playful and easy going as she seems in the beginning, but just uses these qualities to cover up the truth. When Torvald reads the letter from Krogstad uncovering Nora’s long kept secret, and Nora sees how Torvald responds to the situation, not only are her true colors showing to Torvald, but she sees Torvald’s as well. By keeping the secret and covering up her true identity, Nora is not the only fake person, but she is allowing her husband to be a fake person as well.

Early on, Torvald Helmer seems like Mr. Right. He has a great job, and is a supportive and loving husband. Although sometimes condescending, Ibsen leads the reader to believe that no matter what, Torvald will always be there for Nora. Nora also believes that Torvald loves her enough to forgive her for her mistake. She awaits the ‘miracle’ when Torvald offers to take the blame for her wrongdoing, in order to protect her. When instead, Torvald gets upset with Nora and tells her that she must take the blame for her mistake, the make-believe world that that the Helmer’s have been living in is shattered. Nora realizes that Torvald has been so blinded by his misconception of both herself and reality that he cannot see that Nora made the decision to loan the money in order to save him.

I was amazed to see Nora react as strongly as she did at the end of the story, because she had not given off the impression of being an independent and responsive person throughout the majority of the story. I was proud of her for finally realizing that her happiness had not been sincere, and that in order to find true happiness she had to not only find herself, but she had to rid herself of those things that had made her fake in the first place. One thing that I found rather disappointing was Nora’s decision to leave her children. Putting myself in her children’s shoes, I would be not only devastated but also puzzled as to why my mother left without a word. Even if it was explained to me that there were problems between her and my father, I feel as though I would blame myself for her sudden departure. Hopefully those three children can take a lesson from their mother and father, and learn that even splinter-free doll houses crumble eventually.
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