First impressions of Nora Helmer
Nora Helmer
The first main female character we are introduced to in a Dolls House is Nora Helmer. She is the wife of Torvald Hemler and the main focus of the play.
Two main things that contribute to the character of Nora at the beginning of the play in act one are the nicknames her husband gives her and her fondness for “contraband” macaroons.
The nicknames that Helmer gives Nora are spindthreft, little skylark, little lark, little squirrel, miss sweeth tooth. Each showing that she is his possesion and something that he loves and looks after. They also revel that Nora is looked down on by her husband as these names are all very little things or something you would say to a child. When Hemer uses them he is using them (most of the time) in either a Interrogative sentence or as a Possessive pronoun as they are often paired with my.
Nora also eats macaroons and then hides them from her husband. This interaction can be seen in the folwoing dialogue:
Hemler Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?
Nora No; what makes you think that?
Helmer Hasn’t she paid a visit to the confectioner’s?
Nora No, I assure you, Torvald.
act one, pg 7
This signifies that she is happy to keep secreats from her husband. Even though she has only has eatern a macaroon, she has still gone aganst what he wants for her. Suggesting two things, the first Nora is independent enough to make her own decisions and is not bound by her husband. The second is that she is not scaed of her husband and what he will do.
All of this shows that there are two sides to Nora. One is the loveling wife who is loved by her husband and put down (not conserred an equal). The other side is a women that will go against her husband and do what she wants without care for the consequenses. She is very two faced from this degree, even if what she does if for the best intentions there is always a bit of sly dishonest side to her. So, from the first act we learn that Nora is not just what you see at the surface, there is a deeper and somewhat darker side to her.