A Doll's House | a doll's house spark
ADoll’sHouseexploresthewaysthatsocietalexpectationsrestrictindividuals,especiallywomen,astheyounghousewifeNoraHelmercomestotherealizationthatshehasspenthereight-yearmarriage,andindeedmostofherlife,pretendingtobethepersonthatTorvald,herfather,andsocietyatlargeexpecthertobe.Atthebeginningoftheplay,Norabelievesthatallshewantsistobehappy,whichshedefinesas“keep[ing]thehousebeautifullyandhav[ing]everythingjustas[herhusband]Torvaldlikes.”Shefurtherdefinesfreedomashavingmorethanenoughmoneyinordertoc...
A Doll’s House explores the ways that societal expectations restrict individuals, especially women, as the young housewife Nora Helmer comes to the realization that she has spent her eight-year marriage, and indeed most of her life, pretending to be the person that Torvald, her father, and society at large expect her to be. At the beginning of the play, Nora believes that all she wants is to be happy, which she defines as “keep[ing] the house beautifully and hav[ing] everything just as [her husband] Torvald likes.” She further defines freedom as having more than enough money in order to create a life free from care. Yet her self-sacrificing actions—illegally obtaining a loan to save her husband’s life and then keeping this loan a secret in order to placate his manly pride—prevent her from attaining this freedom. As Nora realizes that her selfless actions are now the source of her sorrow, she begins to question whether the life she leads is capable of providing her with happine...