A Doll House
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In the drama, “A Doll House” Henrik Ibsen displays an intriguing conflict of a womans strife. However, without knowledge of the setting being in 1879, it would be difficult to grasp why such conflict would even come to rise. During this time period the social norms between the sexes restricted women from being equal to men. A female judgment in serious matters, such as money and duties of the household was not considered valuable. I am not in a history class though. So, why would this play written a hundred years ago be relevant to my contemporary life? Basic human nature has not changed. Our wants, needs, and desires are recursive from generation to generation. This theory is demonstrated by one of the central theme in this play. Everyone has a certain way, in which, they cope with lifes demands. A mask is often used to cover the insecurity of our true selves from others, but it can also be used to hide it from our own conscious. The main character Nora creates her mask by putting others needs before her own. However, once she takes the pink ribbon off her eyes she exposes a life changing surprise.
Noras initial appears in the play is greedy and superficial. Seeing as, she is constantly asks Torvald to give her more money. However, on Torvalds end, there was a subconscious sense of pleasure that come from her pleas. He enjoyed the fact that she was wrapped around his finger. It is very similar to a Pavlovs dog scenario. He had conditioned her to react in such a way so she could not use critical thinking. When Nora acted in a cute or pathetic way he would treat her like a child by calling her pet names. For example, he said “Now, now, the little larks wings mustnt droop. Come on, dont be a sulky squirrel. Nora, guess what I have here” (1167). As he dangled the money in her face, he acted as though it were a treat for her good obedience. These tricks she performed for him were petty when compared to what she had up her own sleeve.
As the events turned out, Nora was actually the one who had him wrapped around her finger. She played a certain role whenever she interacted with Torvald, and very well at that. However, the prideful extent of her trickery soon turned to disdain. She had made her first of many realizations. If the secret were to ever stretch beyond the confines of the room where Mrs. Linde and her stood, her actions would be harshly stigmatized by the male characters. Not only this, but piece by pieces a little more of her true self would be revealed. In her flustered state of mind, she tells Mrs. Linde “^^^^asdfaTorvald, with all his masculine pride – how painfully humiliating for him if he ever found out that he was in debt to me. That would just ruin our relationship”(1174). She had an extreme fear of the uncertainty in this situation. She did not know if the control she had on the outcome of the other characters actions could continue. Moreover, were her panicking thoughts of the attention deviating from others lives to being focused on her own. In a certain way, the strategy she uses on the characters reminds me of those that a rapist will use to gain control over women. First off, Nora will look for their weakness, and then keeps the conversation going with light hearted and superficial topics. In doing so, she leaves the other person with no time to question or second guess what may actually be happening. Her female charisma accompanied by this manipulative behavior makes for a deadly duo.
The life that Torvald and Nora shared was constructed to be a