Paper Summary:

This paper describes and analyzes the characters of Nora and Torvald in Henrik Ibsen's novel, "A Doll House", explaining that the marriage between the couple is based on deceit and fantasy and that the couple is not prepared to deal with the reality of their marriage or the reality of each other's true nature.

From the Paper:

"The relationship between Nora and Torvald in A Doll House is unrealistic and based upon each one of them playing a role that has been determined by convention and by the influence of both Nora's father and Torvald. The couple does really know each other and are unprepared to cope with adversity together. It is a relationship in which Torvald is the dominant character and Nora works in underhanded ways to get the things she wants. The title of the play has been widely mistaken for A Doll's House. But the fact that Ibsen called it a "doll house" can be attributed to two things. A doll house is a toy house where toy people live; and the house in the play is not Nora's at all. It is completely owned by Torvald, whom has all the financial and legal responsibilities of the marriage. It is truly a doll house and she and Torvald live a fantasy life there. This is the core of the plot.
When the play opens we see Nora come into the house and we hear Torvald calling to her from offstage. He speaks to her condescendingly, as if she were a child. He calls her names like "little squirrel" and "scatterbrain" that are on the surface meant to connote affection but actually reveal that he does not take her seriously and does not actually respect her. He makes a truly condescending statement when he says, "Nora, Nora! How like a woman." "

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