Nora and Helmer: Traditional Marriage Expectations at Start of Play - Essay Sample

Introduction

At the start of the play at Act one, both Helmer and Nora, holds similar impressions about their marriage. The first scenes usher the reader to a fully furnished room on Christmas.The believes that marriage is made up of the traditional husband and wife roles accepted during those days. Helmer expects a dutiful wife who is submissive to her while he remains the decision-maker of the house and maintains his career. The expectations of Helmer are evident at the start of the play for instance when his wife arrives. He shouts from his room "Is that my little lark, twittering out there?" "When did my squirrel came home?"(Ibsen,np) .The words were reserved for little children in their time of history and show that Helmer was trying to teach Nora that they were not equal in the relationship. Nora loves Helmer and is scared of complaining and submissively allowed her husband to make the decisions for her. Helmer suggests that there should be no debt, no borrowing, as he believes that the decency of a home is based on their ability to stay away from debts. Nora Replies "As you please Torvald"(Ibsen.np) The introduction to acting 1, shows that both Helmer and Nora believes that their marriage is held by the material things inside the house. There are several expensive things in the house. The Author describes the arm-chairs, little sofa sets, footlight decorations, and the winter stove as tasteful and exotic. Helmer compliments how his wife had just spent all of the fifty pounds he borrowed, only on Christmas. The couple believes that the amount of wealth in their lives determined the joy that their marriage had.

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This perception is later to change when Nora tells Linde about her act of love of borrowing some money from Krogstad to help his husband. Although was supposed to be perceived as an act of love. It is strictly forbidden in the male-dominated society, where the males were responsible for the financial situations of their families.

The Contrast Between Mrs.Linde and Norah

Mrs. Linde is a contrast to Nora. It is evident from the first conversations, between the two ladies, and despite Mrs.Linde trying to be sensitive and caring, Nora keeps comparing everything to her life with Heller, making her look child-like and selfish. An example is the arrival of Mrs. Linde and the attitude that Linde portrays.She pretends to have forgotten about her despite Linde being a childhood friend. Nora Finally apologizes to her for "Forgetting" that she was a childhood friend who had lost his husband recently (Ibsen, np). Nora rarely talks about the children and affection with her husband. Her conversations with Linde are different as she keeps referring to her husband in every conversation, for example, when Linde asks her if she is still a spendthrift, just like she used to be in school and she replies that even his husband knew that she spent a lot of money for the family needs. Mrs. Linde is concerned about the children, more than the wealth left by his husband. She is hurt, when Nora kept lamenting about Linde's deceased husband who never left her money(Ibsen.np). Linde views their relationship with his deceased husband has been the best because it was centered in love and not the material things. Mrs. Linde is reflective and thinks before speaking, while Nora is child-like and talks before apologizing. She asks Mrs. Linde how she was coping up with being poor, and later apologizes.

The Symbolism of Norah's Act at Tarantella

In the last parts of the play in Act two Nora, jumps into the Tarantella and keeps looking just beneath the surface. This act was a way of distracting Helmer from accessing the mail and letters from Krogstad(Ibsen, np). The moment represents a period of reflection and the empowerment of women. The moment makes Nora rethink her position in the marriage after realizing that her suicide due to the loan money would still not be of help. The moments at the Tarantella show Nora's last attempt to conform to the rules of male chauvinism and her first plan to be independent. Mrs. Linde tells her about the note she wrote, but Nora, before counting the duration of the tarantella she asks Mrs. Linde never to be scared about anything. Nora is courageous for the first time.

Work Cited

Ibsen, Henrik. A doll's house. A&C Black, 2008. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Yyr2E4bpWC8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=A+Doll%27s+house&ots=NyRIzkOQtF&sig=LKKdsdw3ZQOLhEJbDsnmZ4-TBrg