The inferior role of Nora is important to because it depicts the role of women as inferior order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation from Torvald. Torvald has a typical relationship with society with him being a bank manager. His job has many responsibilities and he often treats his wife as if she is one of his responsibilities. He is very authoritative and puts his appearance both physical and social ahead of his wife who he claims he loves. He cares and is worried more about his reputation more, than he cares about his wife’s feelings. However Nora realizes what is happening and her feelings start to change.
Slowly Nora’s character is forced to discontinue her inauthentic role of the doll and seek out her individuality. She comes to realize that her whole life has been a lie. She lived her life pretending to be someone she is not or wants to be and hid the changed women she had become. The illusion of the old Nora continues well after she becomes the new person. When she realizes that responsibilities for her are more important, Nora slams the door on Torvald on everything from the past. She became a person who could not stand to be oppressed by Torvald any longer. Nora quotes “I’ve been your wife doll here, just as at home I was papa doll child”.
Nora identity is in the process of being built while Torvald calls her “little lark”, his “little squirrel”, and a child. This made Nora grows even stronger and she starts to stand up to Torvald and does the opposite of what he wants. Nora tells Helmer at the end of the play that, "I have to try to educate myself. You can't help me with that. I've got to do it alone. And that's why I'm leaving you now". Another quote I found important is when Nora tells Helmer, "I'm a human being, no less than you or anyway, I ought to try to become one." She does not tolerate Torvald’s condescending tone or allow him to manipulate her any longer. She now realizes that she needs to follow her own beliefs and decide for herself what her life will be like and what the future has in store for her. Her rebirth has led her to her own independence and she is now free of her controlling husband.
In conclusion the conflict in the characters being divided between a sense of duty to themselves and their responsibility to others is related to Nora in A Dollhouse. Nora is a character struggling to realize her identity. Her husband Torvald has always established her identity and throughout the play Torvald was condescending towards Nora and forced her to act and look in every way to please him. Nora allowed Torvald to make her do whatever he says at every will no matter what the situation was, and Nora had consistently remain quiet, happy, and his little doll. A doll is silent and never expresses their opinions or actions when not controlled by the aid of others. But Nora becomes strong and ends her doll life by leaving her doll house to learn and explore on her own and is no longer controlled by a master.
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