Thomas Wakefield Mrs. Cabana English 10H A 5 February 2023 The Door Slam Heard ‘Round the World Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House examines a typical marriage of the late nineteenth century, with Nora, the wife, being controlled and repressed by her husband Torvald. Nora, who is defined by both society and her husband as unintelligent, childish, and in need of protection, rebels against societal norms of the time, realizing that she needs to learn more about herself and grow as a person instead of remaining confined to her role as a wife and mother. Before this ultimate rebellion against societal norms, however, Nora rebels against her husband’s and society’s control over her by eating macaroons, flirting with Doctor Rank, and taking out a loan. The first sign of Nora’s rebellion against the societal expectations of her comes in the play’s first act, where she has a bag of macaroons and is eating them despite her husband’s rules forbidding it. As Torvald says, “ ‘Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today’? ” referring to Nora buying the macaroons in town against his wishes (Ibsen 4). Even near the beginning of the play, Nora does not blindly follow …show more content…
Not only were women barred by law from taking out loans at this time, but one of Torvald’s rules is no borrowing and no debt. Literary critic Mary Ellen Snodgrass notes that Torvald “further devalues” Nora for thinking “ ‘like a woman’ ” due to her act of “borrowing money against his wishes” (Snodgrass). Nora knows that Torvald is fundamentally set against the notion of borrowing money, yet she does it anyway. Nora once again demonstrates that she does not blindly follow any rules she believes to be unjust, whether that be Torvald’s rules or society’s laws. Nora follows her own convictions and beliefs about what is right and wrong, and does not conform to what is expected of