Nora from A Doll House - Childish

David Rosenblatt
English 12
Mr. Knapp
12 February 2015
Pampered or Pampers
In the Victorian Era, there was a lack of respect for women, along with the reality that women did not work or contribute to the family’s funding. In Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House”, Nora displays acts of extreme immaturity and irresponsibility, comparable to that of a child. Nora clearly had no sense of the value of money, due to the fact that she was pampered by her father and husband; she never had to work a day in her life. Nora demonstrated careless spending of funds and naivety in society functions. Nora flaunted her responsibilities and she approached money with a colloquial attitude. Nora displayed naïve attributes in both social and monetary situations, which led to the accurate categorization of her persona as childish. Nora displayed naivety and child-like knowledge of money through her interactions with Krogstad, a former employee of Nora’s husband Torvald and Mrs. Linde an old friend. “Nora could be excused for trusting Krogstad not to blackmail her, but not recognizing that the loan would have to be repaid is inexcusable”(Wiseman). Krogstad’s actions were unpredictable, however not completely unexpected. This case demonstrated that Nora is naive in the sense that her expectation was that the loan would not need to be repaid in the near future, or at all. Torvald gave Nora money in a irresponsible fashion, which in turn fuels his wife’s obsession with material objects and her fantasy that money grows on trees. Nora’s material fixation is an indicative of the lack of meaning in her life. Nora had not spent any serious time with her husband and she forfeited her time with her children to the nannies. Nora misunderstood the concept of cause and effect; she lived in a dream-world and had a total disregard for any other individuals (Wiseman). Nora’s childish view on the world affected her human interactions. This problem began with her disregard for others, for example, when she blamed Mrs. Linde for smuggling macaroons into the house. Nora attempted to conceal her transgressions by shifting the responsibility to others; she cared not who she hurt in the process. Additionally Mrs. Linde’s behavior toward Nora is suggestive of the dream like state in which Nora lived. “ How very kind of you, Nora, to be so concerned over me—doubly kind, considering you really know so little of life’s burdens yourself” (Doll Act I). This quotation is an ideal example of the way others perceive Nora as a childlike adult. Furthermore, Nora’s reaction to this perception was rash, surprised and insecure. “I--? I know so little--?” (Doll Act I). Mrs. Linde proceeded to call Nora a child and state that Nora did not know the responsibilities of life. This situation carried with it two messages: Nora being childlike is the most obvious. However, the more subtle point is the way in which Nora reacted. She was defensive and rash; her reaction resembled that of a young child. Nora not knowing the responsibilities of life is an accurate claim. She had grown up in a comfortable environment not having to work or worry about money. Following her departure from her childhood environment she transitioned into yet another pampered situation. Torvald, her husband payed no serious attention to Nora’s monetary carelessness. If Torvalds lack of attention wasn’t enough, his attitude toward Nora was not that of a normal husband: "Little lark", "little squirrel", and "Little Miss Extravagant" are some of the pet names that Torvald bestowed upon her. His condescending attitude toward Nora only worsened the situation, thereby shifting his role from husband to father-like. Torvalds treatment of Nora acted as a barrier for growth, restricting Nora’s natural coarse of maturity. To conclude, Nora behaved quite childlike in Act I of “A Doll House”. For a mixture of reasons she was naïve in a monetary sense, along with lacking experience and behaving immaturely in a social context. The naivety of her monetary skills caused her to end up in an unfortunate predicament, which consisted of Krogstad threatening to blackmail and a loan she could not repay. Nora’s lack of finesse in a social context was a result of her childlike reactions to being criticized along with being babied by her husband and her father. All the different factors in Nora’s life led to a rash, immature, naïve and childlike person who ended up in an unfortunate situation which only continued to escalate. In addition Nora’s childlike qualities led to the inability to navigate the situation properly.

Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik, and Rolf Fjelde.”A Doll House.” Four Major Plays. New York: Signet Classic, 2006. N. pag. Print.
Wiseman, Michael C. "Nora as a Doll in Henrik Ibsen 's 'A Doll 's House '." Student Pulse 2.03 (2010). Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Cited: Ibsen, Henrik, and Rolf Fjelde.”A Doll House.” Four Major Plays. New York: Signet Classic, 2006. N. pag. Print. Wiseman, Michael C. "Nora as a Doll in Henrik Ibsen 's 'A Doll 's House '." Student Pulse 2.03 (2010). Web. 11 Feb. 2015.