One of the main illusions of their marriage is their perception of each other. Nora believes Torvald to be the ideal husband, the strong protector, the moralizing and respectable man. She is certain that Torvald loves her more than anything else, and held onto this belief for the whole eight years of the marriage. For eight years she has been waiting for a miracle that will prove Torvald’s complete devotion for her, and she views the upcoming disaster, the exposure of her secret act of forgery, as a chance for the ‘miracle’ to happen. As she once confidently declares to Dr. Rank “You know how much – how incredibly deeply – Torvald loves me. He wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to give his life for me.” His words of assurance, “What ever happens, when it comes to the point you can be quite sure that I have the necessary courage and strength. You’ll see that I’m man enough to take it all on myself” had possibly been misinterpreted by Nora and lead her to belief that he will take the forgery on himself when Krogstad exposes the crime. Torvald further fuels her beliefs when he proclaimed, in a moment of passion, “Nora, I’ve often wished that you could be threatened by some imminent danger so that I could risk everything I had – even my life itself – to save you.”
Simultaneously, Torvald’s assertions also show that, Torvald himself, too, is under the illusion that he loves Nora greatly. In his eyes, Nora is a weak, helpless and clueless woman in need of his guidance and protection, and Torvald obviously enjoys it when Nora plays the submissive role, stating “I shouldn’t be a proper man if your feminine helplessness didn’t make you twice as attractive to me.” He believes that he holds control over the whole household, displaying his dominance by having the only key the letterbox, setting the rules in the house, and controlling the cash flow. Torvald appears to enjoy being under this illusion, showing his power whenever it was doubted; for example when Nora calls him petty, for dismissing Krogstad for the sake of Torvald’s appearance, he throws a tantrum and immediately asks the maid to send Krogstad’s dismissal notice.
The exposure of Nora’s forgery brings him out of the illusion that everything is as perfect as he planned it. As a result, he flies into a rage and shouts at Nora “What a terrible awakening! For these last eight years you’ve been my joy and pride – and now I find that you’re a liar, a hypocrite – even worse – a criminal!” He renounces Nora as his wife and as the mother of their children, though for the sake of appearance she must stay at his house. But as soon as Torvald receives the another letter and enclosed bond from Krogstad, and is sure that his reputation is not under threat, he rejoices and suggest that they resume to their normal lives. This emphasizes Torvald’s eagerness to return to their illusions of a happy home.
This event, on the other hand, also shocks forces Nora out of her illusions and into reality, but unlike Torvald, she realizes the doll-like quality of their marriage and their family life, as she clarifies to Torvald “Our home has been nothing but a play-room. I’ve been your doll-wife here…and the children have been my dolls in turn… That’s what our marriage has been, Torvald.” Nora finally understand that Torvald is not the man she had thought of him to be. She may have suspected his weak character during the little incident about Krogstad’s dismissal, but having her illusions about herself all shattered, she had clung more tightly to the illusion that Torvald will protect her. Her final disillusion came when the ‘miracle’ did not happen and instead Torvald worries about his own reputation. Nora comes to the conclusion, claiming to Torvald, “You’ve never loved me, you’ve only found it pleasant to be in love with me.”
Torvald and Nora’s lives have been shaped by various illusions. Nora had believed herself to be the ideal wife and mother, and abides by her own morals, trusting that the law will allow for good motives. These illusions were all shattered when she learns from Krogstad and Torvald that the law does not do so, that her forgery has made her a criminal, and that her deceit can corrupt and poison her children. In desperation Nora hangs on to the illusion of Torvald as the ideal husband who will protect her at any costs. Torvald’s unexpected outburst and worry for his own reputation forces her to confront reality. After all these disillusions, Nora makes up her to leave him to pursue her own life of reality and the play ends with the slamming of the door.
