A Dolls House Response and Analysis

Essay
In the beginning of the play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, Nora is really
excited that she's going to get extra money because wants to be able to help cure her
husbands condition. She was desperate to borrow money in order to help her husband
become better. Also, her character in the beginning was childish and she often took
pride in her accomplishments. She was easily offended and was quick to defend
herself. This was demonstrated when Mrs. Linde accused her of still being a child and
not having any experience with the world. Nora is quite taken back and lets Mrs. Linde
know about a secret that she was proud of. Nora was also rather naive and didnt see the
oppressive relationship that she was partaking in. She let herself be belittled by her
husband and saw his actions and words towards her as affection when in fact, it was a
sign of possession towards her. She often went along with the flow and was quite clingy
to her husband. She didnt question anything of their relationship. She wasnt aware of
the harmful relationship that she was engaged it.
Towards the middle of the play, Nora is somewhat more independent and not as
naive. She begins acting on her own accord and even takes actions to keep the secret of
borrowing money hidden away from her husband. She became well aware of the
consequences it will bring her if her secret was discovered and was not as helpless as
before. She shows kindness and loyalty when the situation occurred where she could
have went against the role of a wife. Dr. Rank had let his feelings become discovered and
confesses that he will do anything for his beloved Nora. Nora refuses and says that she
wouldnt take advantage of his friendship and go against Helmer. During this period,
Nora is getting closer to flipping the switch that caused her character to drastically
change.
As the play nears the end, Nora continues to change. She begins to notice the
emptiness that she feels in the family. She begins thinking of what would occur if she
was to leave her children and family. She also comes up with miracles and is hit hard
with realization when Helmer finds out about her secret. She found irony in his actions
and how he quickly forgave her again once he was out of danger. She realized that she
had never loved Helmer and was only a doll wife, just like she was a doll child to her
father. Her eyes opened to the truth and she finally saw the inequality that she had been
enduring all this time. She saw the possessive ways that Helmer had addressed her and
decided to act against him. She further changes by saying that she was leaving Helmer
and the children and walking out of their home. From beginning to end, Nora has
undergone a drastic change in her character. She went from being a blind and careless
housewife to a reality seeking, independent woman.