Tuesday, July 10, 2018

How do the characters change?

Most of the characters in A Doll’s House are static. One of the challenges that Nora faces is that she is constantly reacting to others, especially her husband. Torvald is a rigid, unimaginative man who underestimates and condescends to his wife. Nora has committed a crime to help him and her family, lied to cover up the crime, and pretended to be a different kind of person in order to make the lies more believable. Even when Torvald has the opportunity to change, he proves incapable; when he offers Nora the opportunity to stay married for appearances’ sake, he shows his underlying hypocrisy. Nora’s exit and door slam indicate that she has realized the need to behave authentically, which is a major revelation showing how she has changed.
The only other character who changes significantly is Doctor Rank. He has steadfastly loved Nora but never confessed his love; he finally does so when he near death. Maintaining the illusion of only having paternal feelings was also a kind of lie, so he is similar to Nora in turning to honesty.

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