In the play "A Doll House" Henrik Ibsen shows how being a wife and mother does not necessarily mean that one has grown up. During this play you see that Nora, a wife and mother, still holds on to her childish behaviors by acting just as a young girl would. In "A Doll House" Ibsen shows how Nora's childish behavior causes problems between her and her husband through her actions, words, and her interactions with others.
From the start of the first scene Nora's actions speak louder than words when she comes home from shopping. Her husband Trovald gives her a hard time about spending so much money saying, "We certainly don't have money to waste" (Ibsen 1080). Nora carelessly blows off her husbands remarks as a child does their parents when it comes to money. Nora says, "We can always borrow" like there would be no consequences to it (Ibsen 1080). Little does Torvald know that Nora has already taken out a hefty loan to pay for a vacation trip that the couple went on to Italy, claiming "I've saved Torvald's life" by making up this ridiculous excuse that her husbands life can be saved by going on a vacation (Ibsen 1088). Instead of being honest with her husband and telling him what she had done, Nora covers her tracks by telling her husband that her father gave her the money for the trip. Nora hopes that her husband’s promotion and raise will help to pay off the loan, never thinking about the possibility of something happening to him.
Her words and expressions are that of a child who has been caught by their parents, yet lie to avoid punishment. Nora is quick to lie about eating some macaroons to her husband, "You know I wouldn't do anything to displease you" Nora says (Ibsen 1082). Later on in a conversation with Dr. Rank, Nora pulls out the macaroons to which Dr. Rank says, "I thought they were banned around here" (Ibsen 1093). Without hesitation Nora says, "Yes, but these were some Kristine gave me" knowing good and well that Mrs. Linde...
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