Character Analysis Essay on Nora From "A Doll's House"

Introduction

Nora is a feminine name meaning light in Greek. The origin of the word Nora is English which is derived from Honora and Eleanora. The meaning of the name Nora in English is an honor. Nora is a commonly known variation of the name Norah.

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Nora and Helmer: A Middle-Class Couple in "A Doll's House"

Ibsen's play in "A Doll's House" portray Nora and Helmer as a couple; husband and wife and project big love towards each other. Initially, the couple is perceived to have a happy and enjoyable life within their circles. However, the couple is seen to encounter economic challenges which they can handle and live happily regardless. Thus, the couple can be categorized in the middle-class family.

Nora: The Protagonist of Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

Nora as a main or the central character in Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" can be described as a protagonist since she is represented as a real woman in the Victorian era. Ibsen has projected her as a loving, caring and a committed daughter, matriarch and consort. Nora is also presented as an orderly woman who keenly keeps her house in order by ensuring the house is clean and everything inside it.

Nora as a cheerful woman who spends her life in merry is seen in the play when she celebrates Christmas with awful vigor. Her human nature is encountered when she brings a gift to her maid during the period of Christmas. Thus, she can be described as being sympathetic and generally the right person.

Nora's Financial Challenges and Borrowing Decision

Since the couple is a middle family class, Helmer the husband to Nora receives an increase in his salary she got thrilled foreseeing that the economic challenges would come to an end. "Now that you are to earn a big salary" (Ibsen, Act 1) Torvald shows that he is unhappy with the extravagancy habit associated with Nora thus, pronounces her "spendthrift."

Notwithstanding all the attractive traits of Helmer, Nora trusts that absconding can be the only solution to their financial challenge in later days of the month. As quoted in the play, "We can borrow till then." (Ibsen, Act 1) While this borrowing money resulted in a big problem that even caused their parting ways. Nora would have dealt with the issue by opening up to her husband before according a chance to Krogstad thus an introverted personality.

Nora's Love for Helmer and Self-Sacrifice

Despite that Nora was a youngster who lends her life in the world of imaginative happenings. She portrayed great love for her husband to the extent that she even attempted to change her personality to please her husband by his wishes. Nora loved her husband such that she opted to depend on his choices since she also enjoyed asking him to decide on behalf. Quoting," I really can't think of anything- unless, Torvald" (Ibsen, Act 1). In the play, there is an incident where she applies a loan for her husband medication through forgery. At this juncture, she involves herself with a copy just out of love since the doctors had outwardly said that Torvalds enhancement was only possible by taking him to an airy environment.

Nora's Transformation: From Luxury to Struggle

Later after Nora took the loan, her life suddenly changed from a luxurious and merrymaking woman as a wife to a real practical woman with struggles throughout day and night to repay the loan she had taken. Her life changed such that she even worked to late night to make money worth survival." Often I was desperately tired, but all the same, it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money". (Ibsen, Act 1)

Nora as a Mother and Society's Expectations

Nora as a caring mother through her parenting she feels it's her responsibility to nurture good manners/ behaviors to her children. She is seen to regret her acts and condemning herself that she has even violated the rules in the society, thus her conscience jabs in her that she doesn't deserve to be an excellent mother to her children and the community at large. Nevertheless, Ibsen had pointed out that this society was a male-dominated society thus mothers carrying all the child-rearing responsibilities thus, if a child is immorally upright the blames are directed to the mother and women at large in the community.

Nora's Deceptive Nature and Lying Tendencies

In spite of her positive traits regarding her personality, we are informed that she also possessed a delusive character where she attempted accomplishing things concerning her wishes. She is projected as a type of a woman who does things privately without awareness of her husband. At the onset of the play (Ibsen, Act 1) shows that the husband had the concern of asking Nora not to consume sweets, but she deceitfully defends herself claiming she has not taken "I shouldn't think of going against your wishes." (Ibsen, Act 1) Thus, portraying that she is a constant liar of daily basis yet unashamed of her act. Another incident where she also deceived Helmer is identified when she replied with a NO! After been asked whether there was anybody there who had come yet Krogstad had just left from Helmers home. (Ibsen Act 2)

Nora's Calamity and the Role of Forgery

Nora's calamity begun when Helmer was in charge of the Bank as a manager. Helmer is focusing on firing out Krogstad since he had committed a forgery act for illegal purposes. Krogstad also had discovered that Nora had also involved herself with the forgery act by forging her father's signature to acquire money from him; thus, he was also fighting Nora indirectly to cling back to his position in the bank. Nora's trait of influential is portrayed when she attempts to sweet-talk her husband not to dismiss Krogstad. Nora childish behavior is exhibited when she is blackmailed and seems not to know business secrets. At this juncture, the act of borrowing brings a significant problem between the couple where they both ended up parting ways. Nora is as childish and playful as portrayed at the start of the play on the stage when paying the delivery body. The cost of the service amounts to 50-p, but she gives the deliverer a hundred even though the additional amount is not a significant amount. The informal way she gives it to the deliverer projects her revenue, Cummings. Nora handed the hundred to the deliverer and just before he thanks her, she thinks of interfering with the transaction indicating that she is not patient enough to await the change.

Such an action presented on stage and careless attitude is conveyed. Nora's fiscal carelessness that brings about a state in which Nora's childlike anticipations of Torvald are accomplished. The disagreement of the story is brought about by Nora's forgery of loan signatures to raise money for costly touring to Italy; Krogstad who was the loan processor attempted blackmailing Nora because she had forged signatures of the documents. According to Nora's account status, she had no means of repaying the loan thus an aspect of crime identified.

Nora's Moral Standing and Immorality

Morally, Norah has not exhibited her immorality at any point. The most important thing about her personality is that regardless of their economic challenges she still possess the trait of love, care and loyal to her husband. Even though she was aware that according to the Victorian woman in their society it was wrong to take a loan without the consent of her husband but, she took a risk and went further just out of love of her husband, Helmer.

Nora's Journey to Self-Realization and Independence

Nora is seen later to have realized that she must find her personality and stand firm on her own as a real woman unlike before when she used to be a toy in the hands of men she encountered with. For instance, she spent the whole of her life initially inside her "dollhouse" seeming to be happy. Nora's development which would be analyzed as a crafty process. It is projected that it's until towards the end of the play that she comes up with thoughts originated from her mind, ideas and actions.

Nora is viewed to have a moment of scrutinizing her lifestyle before and the present by questioning the law. (Ibsen, Act 2) Krogstad meets Nora and begins to discuss why she spent the money. Nora recommends saying that a daughter had the right to defend her father from any worries and anxiety at the point of aging and dying. She also memorizes saying that a wife also had the power to save the life of her husband. She claimed that she wasn't much aware of the law, but there must be permitted to allow the two incidents happen. (Ibsen, 2). Nora ignores the question but concentrates much on how she would not have signed for the loan to take care of her family as a man could pose a problem on the rights of a woman.

Nora's significant change of in her development is seen in Act 3. At this point, the party starts dying, and Torvald talks to Nora convincing her about the feelings he has towards her. Helmer says to Nora that, "it's nice to get back to owns home and be with you all alone" and also extends emphasizing on her beauty. Nora's response indicates that she had now stood firm on her own unlike earlier in the play. Her voice is felt when she strongly responds to Helmer by telling her that the beautiful beauty belongs to herself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the relationship between Nora and Torvald is an at maturity level similar to that of father and daughter, unlike the husband and wife relationship. The father-daughter relationship is regarded when Nora confronts Torvald in the later act. In return of Nora to the discovery that her trait was less more than a complex of social and others' anticipations, she realizes that the firm, unchanging principled Torvald she perceived she was married to a character formed out of her. They spent a marriage of doll marriage: he a doll husband, she a "doll wife," and their children destined to be "doll children."

Work Cited

Ibsen, Henrik, and Rolf Fjelde. Four major plays. Vol. 1. Signet, 2006.

Gray, Ronald. Ibsen: A Dissenting View: A Study of the Last Twelve Plays. CUP Archive, 1980.

Marker, Frederick J., Lise-Lone Marker, and Marker Lise-Lone. Ibsen's lively art: a performance study of the major plays. Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Tornqvist, Egil, and Tornqvist Egil. Ibsen: A doll's house. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press, 1995.