Although Nora doesn’t completely decide to leave until the very end she does think about it after the threatening conversation with Krogstad, as she wonders whether her children would mind her leaving “Do you think they’d forget their Mamma if she went away altogether?”.
Throughout the play Nora is erratic and unfocused this is especially clear when she rehearses the tarantella as the stage directions suggest “[Nora dances more and more wildly. Helmer….gives her frequent directions as she dances. She seems not to hear them, her hair comes down and falls over her shoulders, but she goes on dancing without taking any notice.]”. At the end this changes and she becomes focused, decisive, with a clear idea in her mind of what she must do.
Before Torvald reads the letter Nora has already decided to leave, “The water’s black, and cold as ice-and deep…so deep…Oh, if only it were all over!”. However Torvald stops her before she has a chance to leave, and after the second letter arrives from Krogstad, which cancels the first, Nora still wants to leave due to Torvald’s reaction to the first letter. Torvald says things like “You wretched woman – what have you done?” and “…you’re a liar, a hypocrite – even worse a criminal!”. It is this put down by Torvald that Nora was trying to avoid that finally brings home to realisation what her life with Torvald has been like and what she must do, leave. Torvald continues to talk of Nora in the worst possible light but Nora has already
Agnieszka Lovell
come to realisation and answers him coldly and unaffected by what he is saying to her, “Do you realise what you’ve done?”, Torvald asks,
“Yes, now I’m beginning to realise everything.” And Nora answers.
There are many more horrible things that Torvald says to Nora “You’ve completely wrecked my happiness….I’m brought so pitifully low all because of a shiftless woman!”.
But the final straw is the fact that Torvald thinks about himself, not about his wife. Throughout the play he has indicated that everything he does is for his wife and family but when it comes down to it his honour and good name seem to be more important to him. “They may well think I was behind it”, and “I must try to appease him – the thing must be hushed up at all costs.” , show this.
When the second letter arrives clearing Nora, Torvald’s response is purely selfish, “…Yes it’s true; I’m saved! Nora, I’m saved!”
“And I?”
“You too, of course.”
After this Torvald changes and acts as if he hasn’t insulted Nora a moment before. He again enforces the way he controls her “I shall advise you and guide you”.
Nora’s change in realisation then becomes apparent when she changes out of her costume into her everyday things. She changes from being a character that has been acting all this time, to being herself.
Nora realises a lot about the relationship that she has had with Torvald. She realises she “never understood you”, ‘you’ being Torvald. Also she has realised that Torvald has treated her as a child, that he “never loved me, you’ve only found it pleasant to be in love with me.”. Nora finally recognises that throughout her marriage Torvald “arranged everything to suit…(his)…own tastes, and so I came to have the same tastes as… (Torvald)……or I pretended to”. Nora admits she has never been completely happy and that their home “has been nothing but a play-room”. At this point the link between the theme of realisation and of an individual oppressed by society can be clearly seen.
Nora leaves because she wants to learn for herself about the world around her she realises it’s her duty to educate herself and get some experience of the world.
“Is this the way you neglect your most sacred duties?”
“What do you consider is my most sacred duty?”
“…your duty to your husband and children”
“I have another duty, just as sacred…My duty to myself”.
This is the first time Nora is absolutely focused “I’ve never seen things so clearly and certainly as I do tonight”, she tells Torvald. As she leaves, she admits she doesn’t love Torvald anymore due to the way he reacted to Krogstads letter. Nora realises that her whole life has been an act “I was simply your little songbird, your doll” and leaving the house is her only way out.
Nora’s realisation of her marriage brings Torvald to realisation that a lot of what Nora says is true. However it doesn’t completely differ his opinion of what is expected from a wife. He says “I could change” but yet a moment before hand he says “..to leave your home – your husband and your children… You haven’t thought of what people will say”. This shows that deep down Torvald doesn’t care so much that Nora is leaving but about how it will effect is reputation.
Agnieszka Lovell
The theme of realisation also affects all the other characters in the play. Krogstad first upsets the equilibrium of the play by bringing up what Nora did in the past. From here on Nora realises that her secret is in danger of getting out.
There is also realisation between Krogstad and Kristina who realise that they love each other “You and I need each other…with you I could dare anything.” Both characters talk about their past and the fact they used to have a relationship with each other and this links in with the theme of the influence of the past.
Dr. Rank is also affected by realisation. He realises he is dying “The sands are running out for me….I shall lie rotting in the churchyard.”, he deals with the harsh reality as calmly as with everything else. He also realises that he must reveal to Nora that he loves her before he dies. Nora realises how Dr. Rank feel about her but cannot cope with this knowledge.
The play ‘A Doll’s House’ is mainly about Nora’s realisation that she must leave her house. However all the characters realise something about themselves or other characters in the play. It’s Nora’s realisation that the play is about, and is the greatest one of them all. Her realisation forces her to make a change in her life so great she must leave her home and family. Nora realises her life has been nothing but an ‘act’ and she has been nothing but a ‘doll’ which her husband ‘plays’ with and keeps away from society (in the ‘doll’s house’). It’s the society outside the ‘house’ that Nora realises she must experience.
