A Doll's House By Henrik Ibsen Essay

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Real Dolls and Fake People Sometimes, people are not really who they seem to be. In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, Nora Helmer takes out a loan without her husband, Torvald’s permission. Throughout the play, Nora attempts to hide this secret and tries to pay off the loan before Torvald finds out. In the drama A Doll’s House, the protagonist in the play, Nora Helmer, transforms from being untruthful in Act I, to being anxious in Act II, and finally to being straightforward in Act III, which proves that she is a dynamic character. In Act I, Nora is very rebellious. Throughout the act Nora tells lies to Torvald and Dr. Rank. She lies about multiple subjects, and eats macaroons behind Torvald’s back. Nora also confesses to Kristine and Dr. Rank, “I have such a huge desire to say- to hell and be damned!” (Ibsen 980). However, when Torvald enters the room she decides not to say “to hell and be damned”, due her fear of Torvald’s anger. This is significant because it shows Nora is slowly growing more rebellious towards Torvald’s back,…show more content…
Krogstad frequently reminds her about the loan and forgery, which causes her to worry about Torvald finding out. She takes out the loan to save Torvald from his illness, but still fears that he will become angry because he dislikes owing people money. Krogstad leaves a letter in Torvald’s mailbox explaining that Nora took out the loan with him. Nora is trying to prevent Torvald from checking his the mail, saying she does not know the tarantella dance. She dances frantically and says she needs more practice for the masquerade, in attempt to keep Torvald’s attention on her and not his mailbox. Even Torvald eventually notices this behavior and comments, “But Nora darling, you dance as if your life were at stake” (Ibsen 1001). This comment is ironic because Nora really is dancing for her life because she fears that Torvald will abandon her if he finds out about the secrets the envelope
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