Feed the Weak to the Strong

I wanted to discuss the topic of Nora and Torvald. In class we have already discussed how their relationship was false and based on the fantasy of a perfect doll house. But when Nora leaves the doll house, is she ready to take on the challenges of reality, or will she end up alone and helpless? Can she handle the struggles that are certain to come against her? The answer is that, no, Nora cannot handle the struggles that will come her way, and she will end up miserable and helpless, and because of her choice, her children will end up just like her.

Nora has had no personal experience with taking care of herself. She has been handed almost everything in her life. Nora was “simply transferred from papa’s hands into [Torvald’s], who arranged everything for his own taste” (260), not allowing Nora for anytime for herself and her own needs. Nora has proven herself to be manipulative and able to persuade Torvald and those around her with her sexuality. Although she has this indirect power over Torvald, she still cannot use it to sway his opinion on larger scale events. She cannot use this manipulative sexuality in the real world, because, as Krogstad proved, it does not appeal to everyone. Nora has no means of attaining money, because she has never had to work or directly care for herself and her family. Although she did a little sewing on the side, this will not support her financially or for a long span of time. Nora believes that when she walks out of Torvald’s perfect doll house, she will be able to manage like Kristine, but with limited experience in any workforce or any knowledge of what she is capable of, she will not be able to support herself.

                Nora is also leaving her children in an impossible situation, because she thoroughly did not plan out her departure. In this timeframe, it was very rare that a woman left her household and her children. Nora lost her mother when she was very young, and grew up with her father. She does not want to influence her children, and does not want them to end up unhappy like she did. But Nora did not take into account that she was leaving all of her children in the same situation that she had been left in. They will grow up with Torvald, and not get the nurturing that a mother would give them, which is also what Nora lacked. Because Nora wanted what was best for the children, she left them so they would not grow up in the perfect doll house. But in doing so, she has left them in the same situation that she was placed in as a child, and it will be more likely for them to develop into the same individual that Nora was in. Nora is not ready to depart into the real world because she could not even imagine the outcomes and consequences that will occur to the children. She is still in her own childhood state thinking about herself, and with this frame of mind, she will not be able to support herself in the harsh reality of the world outside the doll house.