A Doll house

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Nora Helmer is quite possibly the most complex character in Henrik Ibsen 's play A Doll 's House . She undergoes a complete transformation as the play progresses , so that her final act of walking out and slamming the door on Torvald is almost completely unexpected . Almost because Ibsen laces his play with clues as to why Nora commits her final act of rebellion . For instance , in the first act Nora plays the part assigned to her by not only her husband , but

by her father and society as well and her speech and actions carry an undertone of rebellion that escalates in the final act . Despite Torvald 's gentle scolding regarding her macaroon eating , she carries macaroons around in her pocket and pops them into her mouth frequently . Later , the audience discovers Nora 's financial indiscretion , forging her husband 's signature on a loan , which she did in to take care of Torvald when he fell ill . Nora may bounce about like a doll , tending to her children minimally but mostly leaving them in the care of the nanny , but she is fully aware of her capabilities , which is fully evidenced by her initiative to take out the loan

The societal pressures on Nora to be doll-like , to have a pretty house and be silly , prompt her actions regarding the loan , and further prompt her to keep it a secret from her husband . She does not tell him because she knows what the consequences will be if she does - she will be in big trouble , a criminal in the eyes of society , and thus in the eyes of her husband . The Helmer family will lose respect , for women during this time are not allowed to exercise any autonomy regarding finances . Money is the man 's domain . House and home are the woman 's domain . Nora expresses her discontent regarding this role fixed upon her as a woman by taking out the loan , by forging the signatures , acts of rebellion on a much bigger scale than the eating of macaroons . Through these acts , Nora shows the audience that she is not a mere doll for Torvald to condescend to and croon at , she is smart and able , she is more than just a wife . Though she plays at being a doll , a wife and mother and no more , rather well , she knows there is more to her personhood than simply bearing children , tending to the aesthetics of the home , and making appearances at social events

Nora 's final act of rebellion , which comes about because of Krogstad 's blackmail and Torvald 's knowledge of her financial indiscretion , is a rebellion not only against her place in the world it is also a rebellion against society . She is not just a doll . She leaves her family in to discover who she actually is , something she cannot do in a place where she is defined only as Torvald 's wife and mother of his...