Henrik Ibsen s A Doll House - 1401 Words

Hook In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, Nora transforms from a standard housewife of society to a woman seeking independence. The expectations that society has confine Nora to a strict life in her marriage as she tries to fulfil the roles of mother and wife. Nora discovers that to find her identity, she has to break out of society’s expectations and leave her family behind to start anew. Society standards influence the way people live their lives even in something as personal as marriage and can strip away their sense of identity. In the beginning of the story, Nora appears to be happily married and fulfills her societal role as a mother and wife. In this era, a woman’s role in society was to be a housewife and to care for her husband and†¦show more content†¦The meaning associated with the nicknames symbolize that society expected women to be obedient and dependent on her husband. They are seen as feminine and delicate; thus, their only responsibilities are to care for the children and home and all other matters are left to the husband. Nora consents to this idea when she responds to his nicknames with enthusiasm. She even leaves the decision of her dress to him saying â€Å"I can’t get anywhere without your help† (69). Additionally, Nora fulfills society’s role of a mother. In this time period, it was common for the maid to help care for the children; yet, Nora still enjoys spending time with her children. She plays games like hide-and-seek, listens to their stories, and at one point exclaims, â€Å"I’ll undress them myself. Oh yes, let me. It’s such fun† (61). Nora clearly loves her children and proves that she will go beyond society’s expectations to provide for them. As the story progresses, Nora begins to view the flaws caused by society’s standards and questions the truth of their marriage and society. First, Torvald sparks the idea in Nora that she will be a bad influence on her children when he states that â€Å"Almost everyone who goes bad early in life has a mother who’s a chronic liar† (70). Since Nora has been keeping her debt a secret from Torvald and lying to cover it up, she fears that she will corrupt her own