Henrik Ibsen’s “a Doll House”

        Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House” is a play about the protagonist Nora and her husband Torvald Helmer and how the theme of lies and deceit affected Nora’s marital life and also as readers we see a transformation in Nora’s personality from a “skylark” to a woman through the play.

        In this reading response, I would like to discuss about Torvald and Nora’s relationship as husband and wife. The beginning of the play is very pessimistic and of lies as Nora asks her maid to “hide the tree” (Pg 723). As we read further in the play we learn that Nora has forged a signature in order to save her husband’s life and hence we can connect this starting statement with that and realize that Nora likes to hide things from her family. She probably does this for their betterment, but in the end she realizes that this deceitful nature of hers led her marriage to fall apart.

        We see Nora’s character as child-like from the beginning of the play when she eats macaroons by hiding from Torvald.

Helmer: You’re sure that sweet tooth didn’t make a little stop at the bakery?

Nora: No Torvald, I swear-

Helmer: Didn’t nibble a little candy?

Nora: No, absolutely not.

Helmer: Not even munched on a macaroon or two?

Nora: No, Torvald, honestly, I promise-   (Pg 725)

        She is also treated like a child by Torvald when we hear him call her “skylark”, “squirrel” (Pg 723).