rebeldol Rebellion of Nora and Mrs. Linde in Ibsens A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

Rebellion of Nora and Mrs. Linde in A Doll's House    An underlying theme in Ibsen's play, A Doll's House is the rebellion of Nora and Mrs. Linde against society. Over the course of the play, Nora and Mrs. Linde both experienced an evolution from passive victims in a life pre-programmed for them by society to active agents in an uncertain and insecure life.    In an effort to save her husband's life, Nora has committed forgery and Krogstad is ready to use this information in order achieve his goals: ''(...) if I produce this document in court, you'll be condemned'' (Ibsen 791). This element gives us a hint of women condition in a deeply- rooted man thought society. In addition, Dr. Rank, who had a lethal disease, confesses his love for her: ''You know now that I'm at your service, body and soul'' (Ibsen 802). All these events make the circle tighten and spin faster around Nora, who can hardly resist to this pressure and seeks the relief in wildly dancing the 'tarantella', a dance which she transforms into a ' life and death' one.    This dance can also be viewed as an one of the key element that permits us to say that she's passing from a state of passive victim to an early state of active agent : '' Nora dances more and more wildly. Helmer stands by the stove giving her repeated directions as she dances ; she does not seem to hear them. ''(Ibsen 808). All the other characters' reactions, words and attitudes form the chain which unbearably surrounds Nora and which she will finally break, liberating herself from the lie she has been living in for many years-she firmly tells Helmer her decision : '' I can't stay here with you any longer (...). I'm leaving here at once''(Ibsen 821).   In addition to this intimate inter-independence between Nora and the other four important characters viewed as a whole), is the complexity of Helmer's wife as a dramatic personage. Compared to the others, Nora is the most ' round' character, one who we see evolving, in contrast with Helmer or Dr. Rank. More precisely, we discover tw o forms of evolution of this character :    1.an 'external' one, produced in the reader's mind, as he discovers the purpose of her always asking money to the husband and having a 'toy attitude' with him ;