" Otherwise, Nora's interest in who is employed at the bank -- Krogstad or Mrs. Lind -- would wholly ruin Torvald's carefully constructed social reality. This, essentially, is the only way in which a woman playing the feminine role is able to bend the rules; Nora can exert her influence, but only by emphasizing her helplessness.

Throughout A Doll's House there is an interesting relationship between parents and their children. Recurrently, we are told that both Nora and Torvald believe that a vast number of traits can be passed down to children through their parents. Foremost among these traits are those dealing with money. Torvald suggests that Nora's capacity as a spendthrift comes from her father: "Still, one must take you as you are. It is in the blood; for indeed it is true that you can inherit these things, Nora." (Ibsen, 4). Yet overall, the characteristics that Nora and...
[ View Full Essay]