Nora Helmer
Nora Helmer is a delicate, pampered wife who
was spoiled by her wealthy father
and later by Torvald. As Ibsen alludes,
Nora is the doll of this dollhouse, as
her role is to bend into the shape of
the ideal housewife. If it is dancing for
her husband, completing the family
shopping, or playing childish games to
attract Helmer's attention, Nora will
do what it takes to fit the roles. As
readers, we soon read that beneath the
blank smile of this doll lies a web of
lies, deception, and debt. Nora lives
a life separated from the glittering
housewife of Torvald Helmer. Nora is
possible of her own triumphs and tragedies,
independent of the life and
decisions of her husband. Using creative symbolic
animal imagery, Ibsen
develops a deeper understanding of Nora's character,
allowing her the
capability to deceive and strike a blow for independence of
women. Helmer's
first spoken phrase comes from the study off-stage: "Is
that my little lark
twittering out there?" (346) He refers to Nora as a
lark, a lighthearted,
cheerful, petite songbird found in Eurasia. Helmer is most
probably
attempting to make the similarity with the characteristics between the
bird
and his wife. The name also gives a basic meaning of Nora's actions
during
this situation, as when he first calls her his "little lark" Nora
is
scurrying around the room humming. This little lark name also suggests
Nora's
childlike attitude, and Helmer's desire to promote her childish
behavior. It
illustrates Helmer's desire to cling to his false reality of a
happy, simple
housewife. What is even more intriguing is the physical
characteristics of the
bird in relationship to Nora. All larks have white
outer tail feathers with
their black tail, a black band across their upper
head, a black line encircling
the crown, and a black "mask" across the eyes.
A mask is defined as a
"face covering that, in ritual and theater, disguises
the wearer and
usually communicates an alternate identity."(Random House)
This is very
fitting for Nora who attempts and temporarily succeeds in
disguising her debt
from her husband with lies and deception. This mask
allows for the seclusion of
her debt, and the forged signature on the note
payable to Krogstad. It is also
the mask that separates the characters from
reality, and it is only after this
mask is figuratively removed that the
Helmer marriage falls apart, causing Nora
to banish herself from her family
and other illusions that she has lived with up
to this point. "Is that my
squirrel rummaging around?"(346) Helmer
asks as Nora opens Christmas packages
and nibbles on macaroons. A squirrel is
another animal altogether. These
rodents mainly live in trees, and their food is
mostly vegetable (especially
nuts, seeds, and buds) (Random House). When food is
in abundance squirrels
will often store their excess amounts in order to return
when food is scarce.
Nora is constantly storing items she has placed high values
on. From money to
macaroons, she has found it necessary to squirrel away what
she has, and
hides the truth from her husband. Nora will resist spending her
husband's
money on expensive items in order to steal or embezzle the money she
needs to
pay off her secret debts. Squirrels will hide and bury food, as Nora
buries
the truth about the money used for the trip that saved the life of
Helmer.
Ibsen uses squirrels and larks to describe the round character
that is Nora.
Helmer wishes to simplify Nora's life, relating her to
animals that seem joyful
and carefree. Helmer wants to live a life within a
dollhouse, with a wife who is
simple, childish and obedient. Ibsen, however,
sets the animal comparisons to
unveil an altogether different motive, animals
that are deceitful and
independent, animals that are able to survive without
the help of others. Nora
is independent of the roles Helmer imposes on her,
as she revels her ability to
deceive and comprehend her own demise in the
end.