Life Changing Decisions Essay

Many women in modern society make disembodied spirit altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today entertain prestigious and powerful careers un wish in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Dolls House, there was great controversy over the outcome of the play. Noras straitsing out on her husband and children was app all tolding to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, societys opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a housemarried woman temper to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and raise control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Noras decision to leave her husband is very rational and advantageously overdue.In Ibsens A Dolls House, there are many clues that trace at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald have. It see ms that Nora is a type of doll that is controlled by Torvald, and Nora is exculpately dependent on him. His thoughts and movements are her thoughts and movements. Nora is a puppet who is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. The most overt example of Torvalds physical control over Nora can be seen in his teaching of the tarantella. Nora pretends that she postulate Torvald to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. The reader knows that this is an act, but it still shows her complete submissiveness to Torvald. After he teaches her the dance, he says, When you were dancing the tarantella, chasing invitingmy blood was on fire (Ibsen II. 445), but she quickly shows that it is non her own choice by pleading Please I dont want all this (II. 447).This shows that Torvald is more interested in Nora physically than emotionally. He feels that it is one of Noras main duties as his wife to physically pleasure him at his command. Torvald is non but demanding men tally and physically, but also financially. He does non trust Nora with money. He feels that she is incapable and too immature to handle a matterof such importance. Torvald sees Nora as a child. She is forever referred to as his little sparrow or squirrel. On the rare occasion that Torvald does appoint Nora some money, he worries that she will waste it on candy, pastry or something else of Childish and useless value. He shows his concern for his money when he ask Nora if is his little spendthrift has been wasting money again (I. 11). Noras duties, in general, are restricted to caring for the children, doing housework, and working on her needlepoint. But overall, Noras most primal responsibility is to please he husband Torvald. This makes her role similar to that of a slave. The problem in A Dolls House does not lie with Torvald alone.Though he does not help the situation, he is a product of his society. In his society, females were confined in every way imaginable. Everything tha t women did had to have their husbands approval, whether it delt with money, business, or anything else of significance. At times, they could not even speak their true thoughts or feelings without a harsh reprimanding. In this society, wives were to be seen and not heard. Throughout the drama, Nora keeps referring to the wonderful. This wonderful is what Nora expects to happen after Krogstad reveals the truth of her forgery of her fathers signature. She expects Torvald to stick up for her and offer to take the blame for the crime upon himself. She feels that this will be the true audition of his love and devotion. However, Torvald does not offer to help Nora, in fact, he belittles her by saying you may have ruined all my happiness. My whole futurethats what you have destroyed (III. 451). This is where Torvald makes his grave mistake. Nora realizes that Torvald places both his genial and physical appearance ahead of the wife whom he says he loves.This heartbreaking revelation is wh at finally prompts Nora to walk out on Torvald. He tries to reconcile with Nora, but she explains to him that she has waited patiently for eight years, (III. 456) for things to get better for her. Nora has been treat like a child all her life, by both Torvald and her father. Both male superiority figures not only denied her the right to think and act the way she wished, but they also placed a take a hop on her own happiness. Nora describes her feelings as always merry, never happy (III). When Nora finally slams the door and leaves, she is not only slamming it on Torvald, but also on everything else that has happened in her past which curtailed her growth into a mature woman. In todays society,many women are in a situation similar to Noras.Although many mickle have accepted women as being equal, there are still those in modern the States who are doing their best to suppress the feminist revolution. Torvald is an example of men who are only interested in their appearance and the am ount of control they have over a person. These are the men that are holding society down by not caring about the feelings of others. But Torvald is not the only immoral party. Nora, although very submissive, is also very manipulative.She makes Torvald think he is much smarter and stronger, but in reality, she thinks herself to be quite crafty as far as getting what she wants. However, when the door is slammed, Torvald is no longer exposed to Noras manipulative nature. He then comes to the realization of what true love and equation are, and that they cannot be achieved with people like Nora and himself together. When everyone finally views males and females as equals, and when neither men nor women overuse their power of gender that society gives them, is when true equality will exist in the world.Work CitedIbsen, Henrik. A Dolls House. The Bedford Introduction to literary productions Fifth Edition.Ed. Michael Meyer. Pg. 1483-1542. Print.