Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" Nora Helmer is the protagonist in Henrik Ibsen's play, “A Doll’s house, in which she is essentially portrayed as a “doll” with a luxurious life. As a child, she is spoiled by her father, and as an adult, she is spoiled by her husband. For most of the play, Nora plays a passive character, with almost no personality of her own. She lives as a construct of societal norms, doing what others expect of her. In the beginning, she lives typically in a dream world in which she doesn’t take life seriously. It is this attitude that creates the complications in the plot. Nora is childish and whimsical. In the opening act, she is returning home from an extravagant shopping excursion. She is seen paying double for a service because she is too impatient to wait for the balance, and eating some dessert she had secretly purchased. These actions reveal her reckless attitude and fiscal irresponsibility (Cummins n.p.). When her husband asks her if she sneaked macaroons, she openly denies it. Through this minor deception, her apparent capability of lying is depicted. Nora’s childish behaviors …show more content…
She lives a double life. While everyone thinks she is thoughtlessly spending her husband’s money, she is thrifty, saving to offset a secret debt. When her husband falls ill, she secretly forges her father’s signature to acquire a loan to save his life, although she does tell him (Ibsen 429). This action reveals yet another aspect of Nora’s character. She isn’t just a sheltered reckless wife of a lawyer; she can take risks. Moreover, her secrecy reveals an independent streak. She makes a sacrifice she is proud of although she knows her husband disapproves of such loans. She brags to her friend, Mrs. Linde, that Torvald would do just the same, if not more, for her (Drake 32). Nevertheless, this perception of Torvald’s devotion is mislaid. To him, she is just a mere “doll”, a trophy for