The play, "A Doll House," was a rather intersting one. When the play started off, Nora and her husband seemed to have a very happy relationship and home setting. Nora and her husband even joked around, and she would even act in foolish animal ways to please Torvald. For example, in Act 1 Torvald says to Nora: “Is that my squirrel rummaging around?” When he says this, Nora automatically does squirrel like actions, especially when Torvald starts handing out money to her. Truthfully, I found this odd and childish. Nora was basically being treated just like one of her own kids.
After the first few parts of the play, I automatically started rethinking Nora and Torvald's "happy" marriage. I noticed that she was overly pleased with recieving money, and like I mentioned earlier, she would act in childish ways just to get an extra dollar from her husband. “Ten – twenty – thirty – forty. Oh, thank you, Torvald: I can manage no end on this” This, from Act 1, shows how money is basically the main reason Nora even acts in her squirrel-like ways. It's not only to please Torvald, but it also pleases Nora's wallet.
As the play goes on, we soon find out how Nora borrowed money from Krogstand just to save Torvald's life. Nora tries extremely hard to keep Torvald from ever finding out her crime, though, Krogstand ends up ratting her out anyway. This is defiantly when it shows that Nora and Torvald's marriage isn't a happy one. He even threatened to ban Nora from seeing her own children! Though, once the crisis was all over and done with, and everything was back to "normal," Torvald believed his marriage should be back to normal as well. Nora thought differently. I would have to admit, I would feel and think differently as well. How could you say "I love you" to someone who never stands beside you through thick and thin? In Act 3, Torvald even calls Nora a featherbrained and stupid woman! "I'll be swept down miserably into the depths on account of a featherbrained woman." I don't believe a husband should never degrade the one he supposedly loves so much like how Torvald did.
At the end, Nora leaves Torvald, their children, and her nice home. I can't say I agree with her for leaving her children, but I, personally, wouldn't be able to live with Torvald anymore. He is nothing but a superficial lover, and what he only cares what the public thinks of him.
5 comments:
I really like that you pointed out how superficial Torvald and Nora's marriage was. I think both Nora and Torvald really believed they loved each other in the beginning of the play, but by the end they realized they didn't even know each other. Neither of them did what the other expected of them. The circumstances are upsetting, but like you I don't think I would have been able to stay with Torvald. Good job!
I agree with you about how superficial their marriage was. I think they both liked the idea of being married, but they were more or less just playing house. She was treated like a child. I don't agree with her leaving her children behind, but the play doesn't really give a good picture of her relationship with her children. So maybe we are to assume since she has been treated like a child she was never really a "mother" and maybe more like a sister to her children.
I agree that their marriage was very superficial. Torvald was very controlling. The end of the play really suprised me. I couldn't believe that Nora left her children and her husband. I understnad that she couldn't live with Torvald anymore, but I would not be able to leave my children. I would almost put up with Torvald just to be with my children. She made a very tuff decision.
I think you did a great job putting your interpretation of this play in your blog. I do have several of the same thoughts as you. I feel as though you don't get the sense of Nora and her husband's real relationship until Nora's responses to her husband are of child-like ways. I do not think Nora actually did anything wrong because many people would do whatever they can to improve a spouse's health. Torvald just knows his wife's wrong actions will affect his overall repuation and that seems to be only what he thinks about. Good job pulling lines out from the play and using them as examples to show the character's relationship.
You make great points here, i agree that Torvald is with her mostly for show, though he does seem to care about her to an extent. He shows he cares more about the public attention when he flips out on her when he finds out she borrowed money. It was a very unhealthy relationship, and though she probably should have stayed with the kids, leaving was best for her.
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