A Doll’s House is Henrik Ibsen’s play which describes challenges that women of that time had to go through. We can only assume that this realistic piece was quite relevant in the Victorian era. The author pictures a life of an average Norwegian family that seems happy. However, everything starts escalating quickly when Nora’s secret is revealed.
The play takes place in a town in Norway. Everything happens in Helmer’s house. Torvald and Nora appear as a married couple still passionate and deeply in love with each other. Nora seems to be a carefree housewife who gets an allowance from her husband and follows all his orders. Torvald is a bank worker who recently got promoted but still worried about the family budget. However, as soon as Nora’s old friend arrives, their flawless life starts falling apart. The audience finds out about Nora’s rebellious nature. It appears that she illegally borrowed money to save her husband’s life some time ago. She pays it off every month by cutting down her allowance.Â
Her friend, Mrs. Linde, takes Krogstad’s position at the bank. The man is not happy about it and blackmails Nora since he is the one who lent her money. Poor woman gets more and more anxious that her husband will find out. Eventually, the secret is revealed, and Torvald doesn’t react in the way his wife expected. He is so concerned about his own reputation that he doesn’t even think about protecting Nora.
Moreover, when it appears that they are safe, Torvald wants everything to go back to normal. However, Nora realizes that she can’t live a fake life with such a man and leaves him. Therefore, the play is about gender roles imposed by society and woman’s self-realization.Â
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