Doll House Discussion

In Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll House the opening and closing scenes helped drive the focus of the play. The opening scene was a description of Nora and Torvald's lavish home. The opening scene of A Doll's House is preceded by a description of a room in the house in which the two main characters, Nora and Torvald live. "A comfortable room, tastefully but not expensively furnished". This description represents the Helmers' place in society. They are middle class, not extremely wealthy, but with enough money to survive comfortably on. Middle class society in Norway in this time was quite patriarchal. There were strict social edicts about a woman being a good wife and mother. Women who tried to find independence, or were forced to work like Nora's best friend Mrs Linde, were often seen as lesser beings. This first setting description sets the scene for the entire play and supports the controversial main theme of the play, Nora's rebellion against this rigid society in her final decision to leave her husband when she realizes she needs to make something of herself and find independence. The closing scene of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll House ends with Nora leaving Torvald and slamming the door shut when she leaves the doll house. The closing scene of A Doll House is significant, because it ends the false reality that is the doll house. Nora and her husband Torvald's life together was false and was never serious. Torvald only loved the idea of loving Nora and he never treated her seriously. He treated Nora as if she was an child that did not know any better. After Nora finally had a serious talk with her husband of eight years, she realized that she was living in a false reality for all these years. She was living in a doll house that masked reality. After Nora decides that she want to get away from the doll house, she ends her fantasy world with a quick slam of the door, which ended Nora and Torvald's false marriage. The closing scene left the readers uncertain about Nora's fate as she is leaving her husband and children without any money or with any job lined up for her. Furthermore, Nora does not even have a home that she can stay in, which makes the closing scene full of questions about her fate. But, since Nora is trying to escape the doll house and is trying to grow up, she potentially has an optimistic future.