Jealousy In Nora's Rehearsal

Nora’s flashy and dramatic rehearsal of the tarantella to Torvald and Dr. Rank, left stunned and jaw dropping looks on their faces. In revenge for Torvald treating Nora like a doll, she recognizes his “jealousy: yet [secretly continues to] flirt with Rank, aware but not acknowledging the grounds of her control” (Bradbrook 83). Nora is flirtatious towards Dr. Rank because she intends to manipulate him and ask him for money, but instead he informs her that he is dying. Nora’s mysterious relationship with Dr. Rank behind her husband’s back, perceives her as a disloyal, deceitful, and a potential cheating wife. These provisions limit Nora from finding her inner self and breaking free because it is immoral for women to run from, their marital situations
during the Victorian Era.
Depending on the individual, it can take months and even years to try to determine what one wants in life and how they plan to pursue their overall goal. For Nora, she knew she had to break away from her stereotypical housewife roles and the conflict she caused. Nora realized she had to break away from her “perfect life” in order to find herself and see what else there was in the world. Nora persuades Torvald into thinking that his love for her was just for fun and his enjoyment and never actually meant anything to the both of them, and the fact that he used her as a “plaything” and nothing more (Ibsen 936). In order in find oneself, one must make a decision, either staying with family or branching out on one’s own. Nora realizes that in order for her to educate and find herself, she must leave her children and husband behind to have the opportunity to discover herself and the world she is about to encounter (Ibsen 937). Her bold move to leave everything and start over exemplifies her character as being head-strong, determined, and steadfast to attempt discover her true meaning in life and finding herself as a whole.