Nora Helmer, Ibsen’s strong-willed heroine is far from being a typical victim of male domination. She is master of the domestic world, dedicated enough to nurse her husband through illness, courageous enough to forge a signature and confident enough to pay back all her debts even in the face of enormous difficulties. But that is not what exactly sets her apart from conventionneither the energy or the initiative she exudes throughout, nor her decision to shatter her notions of marriage and seek independence.
Rather, it is the intention or the motivation with which she carries herself throughout the text and more importantly the sub-text of the play that makes her different. Nora, despite her disenchantment and climactic decision, comes across as a less than innocent woman ambivalently portrayed, incredibly adept at manipulation and who does not, in the end, deserve the full sympathy that the thrust of the dominant narrative demands.
She walks into a comfortably and tastefully furnished room, as soon as the play begins, with a bunch of parcels and immediately asks for the Christmas Tree to be hidden “carefully”, pops a few macaroons into her mouth and then cautiously goes to her husband’s door and listens, eventually remarking “Yes he is in. ” The reason for such cautious behaviour seems quite uncertain as her husband’s presence inside the room is immaterial to her secretive actions (that of eating macaroons) as he is clearly out of sight, which makes us conjecture that perhaps such stealth is part of her normal behaviour.
When Torvald does appear however, something that becomes very noticeable is the way Nora uses her movement, repetitively, like an application, to alleviate Torvald’s argumentative tone. For example, when her husband vehemently opposes the idea of borrowing, Helmer: and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle. Nora: (moving towards the stove) As you please, Torvald. Helemer: (following her) Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little skylark out of temper? (Taking out his purse.
Nora, what do you think I have got here? Nora: Money! Nora deliberately moves away from him, making Torvald uneasy of the emptiness, which results in his softening down and taking out the purse. Nora’s mood suddenly changes on seeing the bag. Remarkably, she repeats the same technique when Torvald, quite accurately, begins suspecting her of eating macaroons. She moves away, creates a space and Torvald follows her to fill up the imagined void, alleviating his suspicions in the process. Nora (going to the table on the right. ) I should not think of going against your wishes.
Helmer: No, I am sure of that; besides you gave me your word(going up to her) Manipulations, or more specifically, efforts at manipulation is quite effectively scattered in the text almost making the relationship between Nora and Torvald very predictable at times. Like a circus ring master and his trained animal which jumps through the ring everytime. Nora is indeed part of a larger circus and a very effective ring master. Though ironically or perhaps uncannily she identifies herself with little, delicate and helpless animals when in conversation with Torvald or rather when asking for a favour.
You haven’t any idea how many expenses we skylarks and squirrels have, Torvald” or “If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very prettily–? ” “Your squirrel would run about and do her tricks” “Your Skylark would chirp about in every room” She also engages in presenting herself as a woman of child-like and nimble sensibilities. Nora: (after a short pause, during which she busies herself with the Christmas Tree) Torvald! Helmer: Yes. Nora: I am looking forward tremendously to the fancy-dress ball at the Stenborgs’ the day after tomorrow.
She cleverly engages in light conversation and narrows down to her motive after obviously calling herself silly’ and insignificant’ in the process, “Are you very busy, Torvald? ” acts as if she’s made a revelation, “then that was why this poor Krogstad” decides to present her vulnerability again, “Yes, Torvald, I can’t get along a bit without your help. ” takes a short pause and eventually asks him the question that required such an elaborate performance. “How pretty the red flowers look. But, tell me, was it really something very bad that this Krogstad was guilty of? ” The question remains, why?
Why does Nora Helmer perform in front of Torvald Helmer? The fact that she is performing is beyond doubt and quite apparent as the way she handles her household, money matters and the several acts of deception (from eating macaroons to locking herself in a room to work all night in the guise of Christmas decorations) is quite contradictory to how she potrays herself to Torvald. The interesting factor is that she knows she is performing. “When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.
He called me his doll child I was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours. ” Hence, one realizes that Nora is completely aware of her status as a doll, in the relationship, and uses this idea of a doll that she finds herself potraying completely and rather usefully. But she never tried to dissolve this image. On the contrary Nora probably started convincing herself that she truly was a doll. Nimble, sensitive and wonderfully vulnerable. It became an identity that came easily to her and she never winced at exploiting it. Again, why assume such an identity?
The answer is perhaps her complete dependence on her father and then eventually Torvald, her fascination for money, the world and men. “Then I used to sit here and imagine that a rich old gentleman had fallen in love with methat he had died and that when his will was opened it contained, written in big letters, the instruction: The lovely Mrs. Nora Helmer is to have all I possess paid over to her at once in cash’ ” Nora completely comforms to the idea of her existence being nothing but an object of desire complete contrary to her actions at the end of the play making us question which is the performance and which is not.
She knows she is attractive, ” Perhaps I got it from some other admirer. when anyone is as attractive as I am” and she uses this quality of hers completely when it came to Torvald. So we begin to realize, that Nora was not only aware of her potrayal but also aware that it was this specific image that was her identity for Torvald and therefore Torvald loved and was attracted to a superficial Nora all the way through which perhaps explains why she says, (meditatively, and with a half smile) “when my dancing and dressing-up and reciting have palled on him; then it may be a good thing to have something in reserve. nd hence, Nora knows that Torvald doesn’t love her completely which she finally says before leaving, “You have never loved me.
You have only thought it to be pleasant to be in love with me. ” Hence, at this juncture, the most relevant question would obviously be, Did Nora therefore love her husband? (as she professed) Yes’ would sound quite improbable. The relationship that emerges between the two slowly assumes an image of dependence and not love, especially from Nora’s point of view. Even when she scrapes in money to save her husband from dying. e can take only Nora’s word for that exercise anyway)
Moreover, Norah realizes Torvald’s attraction for the doll that she actually isn’t and therefore loving him back can only emerge from that doll and not the real Norah. In this light, one realizes that the “wonderful thing” that needed to happen was perhaps nothing short of an excuse. The fact is that Nora was certainly clever enough to predict her husband’s reaction to the letter. Somebody who is as aware, deceptive and manipulative when it came to her husband, as Nora surely realized what the result will be.
There are quite a few instances in the text as well, Helemer: But tomorrow night, after you have danced Nora: Then you will be free. or, Nora: You will repent not having let me stay, even if it were only for half an hour. and even a confession, Nora (in an expressionless voice): I knew it. Not that she didn’t try preventing the letter from reaching her husband. From danicng wildly and manipulatively to the near-seduction of Doctor Rank where she uses the darkness to her advantage.
“Flesh-coloured. Aren’t they lovely? It is so dark here now, but tomorrow. No, no, no–you must look at the feet. Oh well, you may have leave to look at the legs too. ” She eventually hits the doctor lightly on his ear with her stockings and calls him “naughty”. The reason why she tried to prevent the letter from reaching Torvald, was perhaps because she wouldn’t be able to hide under her disguise anymore. She had willingly assumed two identities and each became a part of another. She became her disguise out of practise and her disguise became her through the years.
Hence, when Torvald did read the letter and the layer between her and reality disappeared, Nora decided to confront it and found herself incapable of living with her husband whom she had constantly cheated. Hence, “the wonderful thing” was indeed an excuse because she knew that “the wonderful thing” could never happen which is also why she was so terrified of it. She left blaming Torvald for something he wasn’t aware of, though he readily agreed to change himself for Nora, she left her children who loved playing hide and seek with her and took lodging at Mrs. Linde’s for the night.
Ironically, Nora is the one who asked Mrs. Linde, “Tell me, is it really true that you did not love your husband? Why did you marry him? ” Nora therefore proves herself to be ambiguous and very unreliable and even though forfeiting her family and a decision to face the world seems quite a large step for a dependent woman like her, Nora’s motivations remain deceptive as she is forever caught between the world of pretense and reality. Perhaps Nora realizes that, and when she does talk about “change” at the end of the play, she refers to herself being removed from the mask she is used to wearing.