A Sophisticated Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen 's A Doll 's House In the play A Doll 's House, Henrik Ibsen pens a tale revolving around the lives of a middle-class married couple during the nineteenth century. A Doll 's House focuses primarily on Nora Helmer, a seemingly flighty young woman who is often overshadowed by her overbearing husband, Torvald. Over the duration of the play, consequences of Nora 's past actions begin to impact her supposedly carefree life, corrupting the balance in her marriage. Based on Nora 's initial whimsy and apparent lack of individuality, many critics view Nora as a child wife to Torvald. Despite the constraining expectations of the time period and the belittling influence of her husband, Nora represents herself …show more content…
During a conversation with Christine in Act I, Nora explains "…how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence" if Torvald were to learn the truth of her involvement with funding the trip to Italy (Ibsen 1366). This casual statement from Nora reveals that she is quite conscious of how tender Torvald 's pride is. Nora is not the only one who is aware of Torvald 's inability to handle distressing or queer information. Later in Act II, Dr. Rank reveals to Nora that he is succumbing to a fatal disease, choosing not to inform Torvald of his condition at all. This interaction implies that Dr. Rank believes that Nora possesses a greater emotional capacity and strength than Torvald. As such, he trusts her ability to handle the news in a mature and acceptable manner in contrast to the fragile sensitivities of Torvald. Nora is also aware of how her status as a doll-wife to Torvald makes her unsuited to be a capable, worthy mother for her children. Conscious of her shortcomings, Nora questions the nurse in charge of caring for the Helmer children during Act II. Nora alludes to the consequences of if "…they would forget their mother if she went away altogether" with the nurse, who had similarly left her own daughter behind (Ibsen 1378). This conversation foreshadows Nora 's intentions to leave behind her …show more content…
Additionally, Nora proves that she has the capability to use her talents in effective manners to achieve goals for her own benefit. Nora also possesses a great sense of intuition concerning the events and interactions going on around her. Finally, Nora demonstrates the self-awareness to realize her status in her life with Torvald and has the resolve to choose a path towards bettering herself. All of these instances demonstrate that Nora possesses the qualities of a sophisticated and competent individual who can function in life outside the denouncement as a simple child