Failure of a Marriage Depicted in Ibsens A Dolls House Essay

A House in RuinsIn Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House, the subject most important to the story is marriage. Until death do us part well, not always. Everywhere one looks, divorce is plaguing society. The treasured marriage vows have become nothing still a promise made to be broken. A Dolls House is a prime example of a relationship that didnt work. To keep a marriage alive and well it must hold onto indisputable qualities love, communication, trust and loyalty. With these qualities, any marriage is bound to work.Without love a relationship would never even begin. The basis for Nora and Torvalds relationship appears to be centered around love, but this was not exactly obtained. Torvald doesnt really love Nora in a mature way he provided looks at her as another child. He has numerous nicknames for his wife including lark and squirrel which are small animals and used as symbols of foreshadowing. By using these symbols, Torvald looks at his wife as being smaller than himself and therefore well to control. He always refers to Nora as my something. Is that my little lark twittering out there? and Is it my little squirrel bustling about? (438) He emphasizes the my which makes him think that he owns his wife and he is in control of her. Calling his wife names such as skylark, squirrel, and spendthrift, Torvald does not love his wife with the respect and sensitivity a man should. He gives Nora an allowance but thinks she spends it frivolously. What are little people called that are always wasting money? Its a sweet little spendthrift. One would hardly see how expensive such little persons are (439) Here, Nora is referred to as a small subordinate creature once again. Torvald is so concerned about... ... for his wife.Nora and Torvalds marriage fails because they lack in all of the qualifications for a successful marriage and because of Torvalds control over his family. Before Nora leaves, she tells Torvald,But our home has been nothing but a playr oom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papas doll-child and here the children have been my dolls. I thought it swell fun when you played with me, just as they thought it great fun when I played with them. That is what our marriage has been, Torvald. (491) Nora wants change. Marriage is a two-way street and in order to ensure a wonderful and happy behavior together, any sort of doll house must be torn down.Works CitedIbsen, Henrik. A Dolls House. Literature the Human Experience. Shorter 8th Ed. Eds. Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. Boston Bedford/St. Martins. 2004. 437-495.