Rebels in society Free Essay Example

However, by the end of the first act we get a taste of Nora’s first act of ‘rebellion’. During her conversation with Kristina Linde, she confesses that she borrowed the money for Nora and Torvald’s trip to Italy. This does not seem that serious a crime to us; however Mrs. Linde accurately describes why it is so serious when she bluntly states that Nora could not have borrowed the money, as “a wife can’t borrow without her husband’s consent.

“3 Nora clearly acted without her husband’s consent, as Torvald had clearly told Nora earlier in the act that “There’s something constrained, something ugly even, about a home that’s founded on borrowing and debt.

“4 The irony does not end there, as Torvald, with reference to Krogstad and his act of forging a signature, says to Nora that “because an atmosphere of lies like that infects and poisons the whole life of a home. In a house like that, every breath that the children take is filled with the germs of evil.

.. nearly all young men who go to the bad have had lying mothers.

“5 Nora’s naivety does not allow her to adequately comprehend the severity of the situation. She argues “Is it rash to save your husband’s life? “6 Her naivety and defiance of rules and in this case laws, led her to act in a way which saves her husband’s life, only to jeopardise her and her family’s reputation, something which is unacceptable to Torvald, and to society. In the words of Krogstad, “the law is not concerned with motives.

“7 Nora’s actions but also her defying stance towards the law show that she can be labeled as a ‘rebel’. However, Nora’s rebellious ideas and actions do not end there.

The very end of the play is undoubtedly the climax of the story. Here, we see that Nora’s strive to prove herself, and to show that she is not useless, both to herself and to Torvald is something she has kept to herself all these years. Torvald’s explosion of rage when he reads Krogstad’s letter makes her understand that she will always be the same, nai?? ve little ‘songbird’ to Torvald. She bluntly says to Torvald that “… you’ve never understood me. I’ve been dreadfully wronged, Torvald – first by Papa, and then by you. “8 Nora feels undermined throughout her whole life, and she has just realised this.

Torvald’s accusations and his row with Nora is the final straw for her. She decides to abandon him, as well as the children, as she believes that she is not ‘experienced’ enough to raise them to be respectable people. Nora herself says that “… how am I fitted to bring up the children? “9 She also decides to leave so as to acquire the experience and knowledge she desires, saying that “I must think things out for myself and try to understand them. ” 10 Nora leaving the children is in itself a rebellious act, which is most definitely unacceptable to her society.

Nora forfeits a stable household and a comfortable living for her own happiness. She knew that she would most certainly be labeled as either selfish or cruel by denying her children of their mother, and going off to pursue her own happiness and fulfillment. At this particular time Nora leaving her husband and children would be utterly unacceptable to society. Indeed, this particular ending for the play was banned in Germany and Ibsen was forced to write a different version in which Nora does not abandon Torvald and the children. This shows the extremity of Nora’s actions and it is these actions which earn her the title of ‘rebel’.

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