Nora. a complex character from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. alterations throughout the drama as the audience watches her develop into a really different adult female. atypical of the Victorian epoch. As a house married woman. she is expected to obey and esteem her hubby. nevertheless she misbehaves during the first act. behaves urgently in the 2nd. and abandons her hubby for her ain interest in the concluding act. At the beginning of the drama. Nora seems wholly at easiness and demonstrates many childly facets. Her relationship with Torvaldis comparable with a male parent and girl as Torvald addresses Nora with a scope of infantile monikers. such as “skylark” and “featherhead” . However. we are given the feeling that Nora does non look to happen this patronizing. as she responds dearly to her husband’s tease. for illustration. “Yes! ” when Torvald calls “Is it my small squirrel hustling about? ” . Ibsen’s usage of phase waies besides portray Nora’s obeisance towards Torvald. as they present Nora as quiet and timid when in the presence of her hubby. “playing with his coat buttons” and “without raising her eyes to his” as though she is a diffident pet. waiting for orders. Due to Victorian criterions of matrimony. Nora is expected to function her husband’s every demand whilst maintaining quiet about her ain. much like a loyal pet.

This means that sheneeds his permission for everythingas a adult female in the Victorian epoch is non trusted to do determinations by herself as she is expected to do errors. Womans were looked down upon and treated as accoutrements while work forces were treated like male monarchs. In comparing to Ibsen’s character. Bernard Shaw’s character. Vivie. from his drama Mrs. Warren’s Profession. is presented as a ‘new woman’ from the beginning of Act l. Whilst Nora is foremost presented to the audience as a cautious. guiltless adult female. Vivie is unlike the typical Victorian adult female as she is a “strong. confident” character. represented when she “proffers her hand” to the male character. Praed. with a “hearty grip” . bespeaking her positions that she is equal to the ‘higher sex’ . Another difference between the two adult females is their laterality in conversation. Victorian adult females were expected to listen and follow orders. At the beginning of A Doll’s House. Nora follows these conventions. nevertheless Vivie does non as he easy orders Praed to “sit down” and he obeys. Vivie challenges functions of work forces and adult females in the Victorian society. She may hold this assurance because her end in life is non to derive a affluent hubby and be dependent upon him. but to gain her ain money and be dependent upon herself. hence she does non experience bound by societal outlooks of adult females because she does non experience she needs to affect any adult male.

As Nora develops through the drama. she reveals that she is non merely a “silly girl” as Torvald calls her. She rebels against her hubby. lying to him. for illustration. Torvald asks “Has anybody been here? ” and Nora responds “No. ” . though the audience knows that a character has. A married woman is supposed to esteem her husband- this implies ever stating the truth. nevertheless Nora ignores these societal outlooks and defies her hubby. The audience learns that she is rather capable of lying though she seems to bow down to Torvald’s every want and make everything she is expected. We realise she may non be what she seems. As Nora reveals her secret debt which she incurred. she talks about “quarterly interest” and “payment in installments” supplying a clear apprehension of the money around the debt and proving that she is non an ordinary homemaker. She does non populate a pampered and caged life. cut off from the universe. She is intelligent and possesses capacities beyond wifehood. Womans in the Victorian epoch were non trusted with money. and were ne’er given the chance to turn out themselves. nevertheless Nora has successfully taken out a loan and she is in private proud of it.

She must ne’er let people to cognize her secret success as she would be judged and suffer for it. Nora’s ferocious finding and aspiration is clear when she describes her old ages of secret labor. She tells “I have found other ways of gaining money” and provinces “it was like being a man” as lone work forces would hold acted in the manner she did. though she is proud that she has. She keeps her secret past life a enigma to everyone around her because she must feign to be person she is non to carry through the function that Torvald. her male parent and society have expected from her. Just as Nora is disrespectful of her hubby by withstanding him. Vivie is disrespectful of her female parent. She is disgusted by her mother’s profession in a clip when girls should esteem their female parents. Vivie wants to be as different from her female parent as possible. and she makes this clear by comparing herself to her female parent. She says “Who are you? ” as though her female parent has achieved nil. and indicates her sentiment that her life style is better than her mother’s. saying “Everybody knows my repute. [ … ] I know nil about you. ” Vivie is embarrassed of her female parent. Alternatively of maintaining her sentiments private as Victorian adult females were expected. she expresses them. Nora’s independency radiances through nearer the terminal of the drama.

She begins ruling conversation with Torvald. in comparing to the beginning of the drama when she would merely listen. She talks more and disrupt her hubby despite Victorian outlooks of married womans. Torvald says “but I don’t know-“ . which Nora interrupts with “Mrs. Linde. dear” in an about sponsoring tone. Last. Nora brings the drama to an terminal when she insists that she is go forthing Torvald. She walks out on her husband- a drastic alteration to typical matrimony conventions. Torvald even asks his wife’s permission. “May I write to you. Nora? ” . A adult female was expected to inquire her husband’s blessing before making anything. nevertheless functions are changed as Nora becomes more dominant. Andrew Ravenscroft agreed that Ibsen wrote to “free both work forces and adult female who were trapped in their gender roles” during the Victorian epoch. which is presented through the unusual function alteration between Nora and Torvald.

She disrespects Torvald and “goes out through the hall” against his wants as she abandons him for her ain demands. Alternatively of making what is expected of her and other homemakers. she does the opposite. We can see a gradual patterned advance through the drama as Nora develops her independency nevertheless Vivie has ever been an independent character. Nora begins perpetrating little Acts of the Apostless of rebellion which grow worse as realises the life style is non for her and she must populate for herself- non her hubby. Nora and Vivie are in front of their clip. They do non hold with the typical Victorian sentiment of matrimony. or functions of work forces and adult females. They do non believe their responsibility is merely to waitress for work forces throughout their lives. Though Vivie holds this sentiment from the beginning of Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Nora’s thoughts change through her experiences as she realises her possible.