Analysing Nora’s Comment to Mrs. Linde :: A Dolls House Marriage Henrik Ibsen Essays

Analysing Nora’s Comment to Mrs. Linde Nora’s comment to Mrs. Linde that Torvald doesn’t like to see sewing in his home indicates that Torvald likes the idea and the appearance of a beautiful, carefree wife who does not have to work but rather serves as a showpiece. As Nora explains to Mrs. Linde, Torvald likes his home to seem â€Å"happy and welcoming.† Mrs. Linde’s response that Nora too is skilled at making a home look happy because she is â€Å"her father’s daughter† suggests that Nora’s father regarded her in a way similar to Torvald—as a means to giving a home its proper appearance. Torvald’s opinion on his wife’s role in their home is his defining character characteristics. His unrelenting treatment of Nora as a doll indicates that he is unable to develop or grow. As Nora’s understanding of the people and events around her develops, Torvald’s remains stationary. He is the only character who continues to believe in the charade, probably because he is the only main character in the play that does not keep secrets or harbour any hidden complexity. Each of the other characters—Nora, Mrs. Linde, Krogstad, Dr. Rank—has at some point kept secrets, hidden a true love, or plotted for one reason or another. Nora’s use of Torvald’s pet names for her to win his cooperation is an act of manipulation on her part. She knows that calling herself his â€Å"little bird,† his â€Å"squirrel,† and his â€Å"skylark,† and thus conforming to his desired standards will make him more willingly to give in to her wishes. At first, Nora’s interaction with Dr. Rank is correspondingly manipulative. When she flirts with him by showing her stockings, it seems that she hopes to lure Dr. Rank and then persuade him to speak to Torvald about keeping Krogstad on at the bank. Yet after Dr. Rank confesses that he loves her, Nora suddenly shuts down and refuses to ask her favour. She has developed some moral honesty. Despite her desperate need, she realizes that she would be taking advantage of Dr. Rank by capitalizing on his love for her. When Nora explains that Dr. Rank’s poor health owes to his father’s promiscuity, for the second time we come across the idea that moral corruption transfers from parent to child. (In Act One, Torvald argues that young criminals result from a household full of lies.) These statements clarify Nora’s torment and her refusal to interact with her children when she feels like a criminal. They also reveal that both