Rachel CaduriJacob Gallagher-RossTH 3023 March 2015You Were There25 December 1879Dear Diary,I am going to leave my husband. Let me explain:James and I went to the Royal Theatre this evening. We saw this new play by Henrik Ibsen called A Dolls House. Tickets were very expensive given the fact that it just opened this past Sunday. You know James though; he must get what he wants no matter the cost. The theatre was absolutely beautiful. It has a gorgeous ceiling and even more gorgeous velvet red curtain. Its only about 5 years old. We had box seats so we had a very good view of the stage. Ive wanted to come see a play here for quite some time, but with James working all the time, we never had the chance. I was excited to go see this play though. A friend of mine who had seen it on Sunday said she thought I, particularly, would enjoy it, and she was certainly right. A Dolls House is centered around a wife named Nora, who is trapped by her life. She and her husband Torvald have been married for eight years and have three children together. The play focuses on a major conflict for Nora. Her deep love and passion for Torvald caused her to illegally obtain a loan when they were in need of money to get to Italy, because Torvald had become ill. Now she is being blackmailed by one of his employees, Krogstad, who plans to tell Torvald of her crime if she does not stop Torvald from firing Krogstad. Despite her best attempts, she is unsuccessful at convincing him and is faced with the fact that Torvald will come to know the truth. As I expected him to react, Torvald is engulfed by rage when he finds out what she has done. He is then presented with a second stating that Krogstad has returned the forged certificate of debt, putting Torvald in a stage of forgiveness. However, Nora has now come to the realization that Torvalds love for her is as that of a doll, and she then decides to leave him, as well as her children.Betty Hennings portrayal of Nora was absolutely magnificent. Her presentation of Noras transformation from Torvalds doll to a person of her own accord had a natural, genuine quality about it (Thrane). Emil Poulson so accurately portrayed the egotistical Torvald (Thrane), that its hard for me to separate him from his character, so much so that I now dislike Poulson and do not care to further comment on his performance.Up until the end, I found the play to be very sad. One moment in particular, was when Kristine asks Nora if she plans to ever tell Torvald of the loan she forged and she responds Torvald would find it embarrassing and humiliating to learn that he owed me anything. Her concern is not that he may become upset with her over what shes done, but that it would hurt his ego. She loves him so dearly, that her focus is not on the repercussions she may face, but on the emotional effect this will have on her husband. Its heartbreaking to see the love she has for a man that simply treats her like an object.I think the reason I liked this play so much was because I resonate so closely with Nora. Watching the final act play out, you hope that when Torvald finds out about Noras illegal actions, he will see the love and devotion that drove her to such lengths and love her for that. Together, they will rectify the situation and continue through their happy lives. That, however, is not the happy ending Ibsen gives you. After Torvalds sudden change from rage to forgiveness, Nora finally understands the life she has been living. She sees the reality of the way her husband loves her and realizes her whole marriage was false. So, she walks away and slams the door behind her. In my opinion, this is a happier ending than one where Torvald and Nora solve the issue of the debt and go on living their happy lives. No, there isnt anything necessarily happy about the way this play ends, but I find inspiration and a certain joy in watching Nora become her own person and claim her independence (Thrane). Another thing I noticed and liked was that Noras removal of her masquerade costume for the final act is also symbolic of her declaring her independence of Torvald. She wears the costume through out, representing her role as Torvalds doll, but when she removes it, its like she is shedding that layer off of herself (Fisher 99). A Dolls House sheds a vast amount of light on gender roles in a marriage. First, theres the issue of money. Why must men be the sole breadwinners? One moment that really stuck out to me was when Nora revealed to Kristine that secretly working to repay her debt was fun because it made her feel like a man. This conveys the idea to the audience that working is a mans job. Furthermore, it also shows a development in Noras character, that she has seen the joy in being economically independent (Fisher 99).Going back to Noras forgery of the certificate of debt, we can also see a difference in the values and morals between men and women (Fisher 100). Nora believes her forgery was justified by her love and willingness to do anything to help her husband, whereas Torvald sees this as a criminal act. Womens morals often come from a place of love and care, as opposed to right and wrong. However men see it as black and white. This situation between the characters is very similar to something I went through with James. Not too many years ago my cousin George, who has always been like a brother to me, robbed a home and was sent to prison. When he got out, he was left with nothing. So when he approached me about living with James and I for a few months my immediate answer was yes, but James wouldnt have it. Even though this man was family, James refused to see past his crimes.While Ive focused a lot on Nora and Torvald, there is another character that has inspired me to, as well as justifies my decision to leave James. Kristine Linde. Kristine is Noras widowed friend and confidant. When Kristine was younger she was forced to marry a man that could give her money, instead of the man she loved, Krogstad. Years later, she has come to see Nora in hopes that she could ask Torvald for a job and through the process ends up reunited with her love Krogstad. And although she admits that through her time as a widow she has felt a certain emptiness, and needs a job from Torvald, she has still managed to make due on her own. This is a sign to women, like Nora and myself, that a man is not necessary and it is possible to get by on your own.So that is all I have to say on the subject, and that is why I am leaving my husband. I can only hope my exit from his life will be as dramatic as Noras slamming of the door.

Work CitedAkerholt, May-Brit. "Fdrelandet." All about Henrik Ibsen. 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. .Fisher, Jerilyn, and Ann R. Shapiro. "The Slammed Door That Still Reverberates: Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879)." Women in Literature Reading through the Lens of Gender. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2003. 99-101. Print.Holzapfel, Amy. Art, Vision, and Nineteenth-century Realist Drama Acts of Seeing. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print."Pictures of the First Performance at Det Kongelige Teater." All about Henrik Ibsen. Ernst Bojesens Kunstforlag, 5 July 2006. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. .Thrane, C. "Illustreret Tidende (C.Thrane)." All about Henrik Ibsen. 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. .