The title of A Doll's House is symbolically significant as well as highly suggestive of the message that Ibsen seems to

have intended to convey through the play. There are two important aspects of the play, which the title directly points to:
the doll and the house. The doll represents Nora, the central character and the house stands for the house of Helmer
where Nora lives. Ironically used the word "Doll" signifies passivity, beauty and the basically feminine nature which is
seen in Nora. Indeed, from the viewpoint of Helmer, who is basically a traditionally possessive husband, Nora the doll is
something like an inanimate object with which he can play and enjoy. As Nora says at the end of the play, she had been
her father's doll until her marriage and she has been Helmer's doll for eight long years since her marriage. The reality is
however that Nora has all the potential of being a real human being, seeking identity and dignity and conscious of all the
limitations imposed by her husband and his society's traditions. Nora is not a real doll but an apparent one. She is
subservient; she is designed as per the demand and desires of Helmer, who would like to think that he makes her what
he wants her to be; she is also perfect and unchanging, insentient and easy to handle like lifeless dolls, that is, in the
eyes of Mr. Helmer. Helmer possesses her, basically and almost only for fun. Nora has herself explained the fun:
"...But our home has never been anything but a playroom, I've been your doll-wife, just as I used to be
Papa's doll-child. And the children have been my dolls. I used to think it was fun when you came in and
played with me, just as they think it's fun when I go in and play games with them. That's all our marriage
has been…. "
Another ironic indication in the use of the word "Doll's" is that the house does not belong to the doll, nor is it made or
maintained for her. The house, not home, is Mr. Torvald Helmer's. In one sense, he possesses the house, along with
the doll! The house, therefore, seems to belong to the doll; but actually it is her cage, restricting individual freedom and
emancipation of the self.
The word "house" also has symbolic suggestions and thematically significant connotations. "House", as contrasted to
"home", means 'a structure or shelter to live in', unlike "home" which means 'a house where one's family lives and one
gets love and care". "Home" is an emotively charged word, whereas "house" is not. So, in the case of the title of this
play, the word 'house' as the connotation of 'just a place to live in', 'a shelter', 'a lifeless thing', and so on. Indeed, for
Nora, the house of Helmer has never been a home; it has been a perfect house with a perfect family. At the beginning,
Nora is mainly satisfied with her living place, her house; so, it is her 'home' indeed. But, as she finds out later, it has
been a house, a cage, she has been living there as a plaything until her expectation of an act of, sacrifice by her
husband, or what she calls "miracle", fails to happen. When she is disillusioned about her place and value, her dignity
and respect from her husband, she realizes that her husband has been treating her like a child treats its doll. She has
the feeling of that home which has been like the doll's house.
When the curtain rises, Nora is seen on stage telling innocent lies in a child-like manner. Helmer treats her like an
irresponsible being – like a child, a bird (skylark), a squirrel, a possession, anything except as a woman. But underneath
the surface of Nora’s mind, there is lurking a strong protest against the male domination with its laws, religion and social
customs, all trying to crush the individuality, freedom and dignity of woman. Her father and later her husband have with
the help of these male dominated social laws tried to keep Nora ignorant of the “true realities of life”, of her reasonable
rights, of her obligations. Nora’s father committed forgery while working as a government employee. Torvald Helmer
was appointed to examine the documents of Nora’s father. It was during this verification of the documents that Torvald
met Nora, fell in love with her and married her. Nora made supreme sacrifice in order to save the precious life of her
husband. She borrowed money from Krogstad, an unscrupulous man for a trip to Italy for the medical treatment of her
husband. Helmer was seriously ill and her father too had been on his deathbed. Not desiring to trouble her father at
such a time for a loan and knowing fully well that Helmer would never agree to take a loan himself, Nora secretly
borrows the loan without Helmer’s consent. Nora signs her father’s name on the back of the promissory note (bond)
given by Krogstad. Whenever Torvald has given money to Nora for new dresses and such things for home needs, Nora
never spends more than half of it and bought the simplest and the cheapest things. Thus Nora made great sacrifices for
her husband and family.
Krogstad is dismissed from the Savings Bank by Torvald Helmer as soon as he becomes the manager of the bank. In
retaliation, Krogstad writes a letter to Torvald Helmer revealing the forgery commited by his wife Nora. Torvald reads the
letter and is angry with Nora and tells her that she is a cheat and dishonest and not fit for bringing up their three children
and in that moment Nora sees him for what he is actually is. His masked face is torn to pieces in the mind of Nora. She
learns that Torvald is a hypocrite and has no love for her. Meanwhile another letter comes from Krogstad with the forged
promissory note and cancelling all revengeful action against Nora. This made Torvald happy and relieved and he
forgives Nora and tells her that she is once again his skylark and squirrel. But Nora tells him that she had expected a
wonderful thing from Torvald that he would certainly take up the blame of the forged bond on his shoulder and says
publicly that it he who committed the crime and that he was the guilty one and not Nora. But that wonderful thing did not
happen. So Nora goes out of Torvald’s home slamming the door against the male-dominated laws and social customs.
In the concluding scene Nora questions the foolish male-dominated religious ideas, spiritual laws, the legal system and
the social views about man-woman relationships. How can a woman be herself in a male dominated society where
women are mere dolls in the palms of men? In the society laws are made by men for their own selfish interests with a
judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view. Nora has committed forgery, and she
admits her forgery and she is proud of it because she has done it out of her love for her husband, to save his precious
life. But her husband with his conventional outlook on religion and social etiquette cannot understand it. To him forgery
is a crime, a sin and a woman’s duty is to look after the needs of her husband and children. She has no duty to herself.
Therefore Torvald accuses her of a cheat and a misfit for her children.