Ibsen names his drama A Doll's House
because Torvald treats his wife Nora as a toy. Nora is Torvald's prized possession. He
treats her as a child; therefore, the title is befitting. Torvald has childish nicknames
for Nora, and she responds to his game as if she is actually his doll, a toy in which
gives him pleasure:
However, she has continued to play the part of
the frivolous,scatter-brained child-wife for the benefit of her
husband.
Clearly, Torvald
does not see Nora as his equal. He sees her as lesser than. She is merely his toy doll,
an object with no feelings or intellect.
In the play, Nora
borrows money behind her husband's back to save his life with a trip to Italy, a place
with a warmer climate. When Torvald learns about Nora's secret, he yells at her and
sends her to her room. At this point, Nora's true inner self is awakened. She realizes
that she has been keeping up a facade, pretending to be
happy.
Suddenly, she is tired of Torvald calling her
chidish names such as scatter-brained. She desires her own identity. She desires to be
her own person and not Torvald's doll. For this reason, Nora leaves Torvald. She sets
out to become a woman with her own feelings and desires. She chooses to no longer be
Torvald's doll. The doll house comes crashing down when Nora walks out the door, leaving
Torvald alone to play his games.
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