A Doll's House

Nora Helmer, the naive and pretty wife of Torvald, has no opinions or talents of her own in male-dominated 19th-Century Norwegian society. Their life is comfortable and respectable, and their ideals are conventional. But when Torvald was ill, Nora borrowed money from her father's bank with a forged signature and did not tell her husband. She is desperately trying to pay back the funds now that Torvald is well and due for a profitable career appointment. When he discovers the existence of the loan, he is shocked and angry and tells her he can no longer trust her. His attempts to control her by demanding complete obedience in opposition to her compassionate feelings and behavior forces Nora to see that her entire marriage was used for Torvald's gratification. She has no right to think for herself or make worthwhile decisions on her own. He believes there is no place of authority for her if she cannot fit easily into an unexplored life of domestic satisfaction. Even though Ibsen wrote this a hundred years ago, his assessment of women's economic and emotional dependence in marriage is intensely accurate.