Nora Helmer's Development

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Nora Helmer’s Development In the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, a wide variety of characters are present. The audience is introduced to one character in particular, the protagonist Nora Helmer. Upon introduction, Nora can be seen as a caring young woman who is determined to please her husband, Torvald. However another character in the play recognizes Nora’s actions as a sort of childishness. With this condescending accusation, Mrs. Linde shines a light on Nora’s personality that may have been over looked. Rather than a seemingly doting and dedicated wife, expectant of women of the time, Nora Helmer is in fact childish, just as Mrs. Linde assesses. At the beginning of A Doll’s House, Nora seems happy, if not elated with life. She freely spends her money on a Christmas tree, and a box of macaroons for herself. She sneaks around spying on her husband. It is not until Torvald calls for his wife, that the audiences can see the childishness begin to surface in Nora. He showers her with nicknames that she responds to in a very schoolgirl manner. She seems to flirt with Torvald as if their several years of marriage have not phased her love for him. The way Nora responds to her husband along with how he speaks to her also makes her relationship seem like one a father would have with his daughter rather than a marriage of several years. His condescending manner towards Nora suggests that he sees himself as more of a father figure to her rather than a husband. As he speaks, there are very subtle hints that suggest her child like behavior. Such as whenever he questions Nora about her wasting his money “again” and whether or not she was consuming macaroons. Using the word “again” implies that her spending has gotten her into trouble more than once. This signifies how she enjoys spending money and seems to not show very much consideration about the value of a
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