Clothing In Nora And Torvald

Ibsen further constructs the physical disconnection between the protagonists through the transition of clothing especially in the denouement, yet there are certain metaphorical ramifications associated with them. The differences in the clothing show the incompatibility of the characters and the fact that both Nora and Torvald wish for different things within their marriage. Firstly, the notion of clothing can be associated with inanimate objects such as the Christmas tree. The audience see Nora “dressing the tree” (Ibsen, however the more significant point in the play is during her confrontation with Torvald in Act 2 when we see her “busy with the tree after a short silence”. The aural imagery associated with this dressing of the tree further
The playwright constructs the dominant nature of Torvald through his patronising touches in relation to Nora, his role in the confrontation in the denouement and his collected demeanour. Through diction choices such as “threatening” (Ibsen, 7) and “petting her” (Ibsen, 102) constructs an almost animalistic relationship, as if Nora was the “pet” with Torvald as the “master”. Clearly, Ibsen alludes to not only the flaws in the Helmers’ marriage but by extension, the flawed ideologies of Norwegian society in segregating the husband and the wife to generic roles of the dominant and the subservient. The subservient marital relationship shared between Torvald and Helmer is further illustrated when Torvald “puts his arm around her” (Ibsen, 90), when he “lays his hand on her head” (Ibsen, 95) and finally when he “takes her under the chin” (Ibsen, 100). It is evident that Torvald treats Nora as someone who is beneath him; she is certainly not his equal in the relationship, abiding by the stereotypical gender roles associated with marriage in the contextual time period in which the play was written. On a deeper analysis, the way in which Torvald “puts his arm around her” at two points in the play illustrates the way in which he literally and metaphorically cages her in his domineering hold, stripping her of her liberty. This is further reiterated through the way in which Ibsen characterizes Torvald’s role in the confrontation in the denouement, or more specifically, the way in which he asserts his dominance visually in contrast with Nora’s more feeble actions. There is a clear juxtaposition in the modality of the language used in the visual stage directions, as seen by Nora who “whispers quickly, hoarsely, brokenly” (Ibsen, 134) and “tries to get free” (Ibsen,