How Ibsen established the 3 characters: Nora, Torvald and Linde.
Within A Doll’s House, Ibsen has used various techniques in which the 3 characters who have been revealed, are carefully described. Among those techniques, his focus on the characters’ language is the specific and significant component to establish those 3 characters.
Firstly, Torvald’s characteristics are portrayed through his language, especially in the way that he often calls his wife, Nora. The nicknames that Torvald gives Nora are referred to tiny things: singing bird, sweet-tooth, pretty little pet, little squirrel,…as if Torvad considers his wife as an object, his possession, particularly is “pretty little pet”. A pet usually associates with obedience and loyalty, which could perhaps be the case where Torvald sees Nora as someone to comply with him and that she must listen to his words. This idea is further explored through Torvald actions towards Nora where perhaps, he over-complicates Nora’s obedience. Torvald suspects Nora’s behaviour carefully, in which he is exceptionally concerned about Nora eating macaroons, this is where Torvald’s image could be interpreted as a father figure rather than a husband. Eventhough what Torvald says can be seen as demanding in terms of level of control and trustfulness from Nora, Torvald is very easy-going towards her as well. “But that doesn’t mean we can afford to be extravagant” – though at first, Torvald seemingly disagrees with the fact that Nora spends too much money, at last he is softened by her. Ibsen has created images coming from both, good and bad sides of Torvald, where he could be seen as showing disrespect towards his wife, however he is very responsible in finance area and that he is quite easy-going at Nora.
Secondly, Nora is portrayed through the nicknames she is given by Torvald, where she is called “little squirrel”. Squirrels usually find things and hide them away, store them for winter, this is a significant reflection of what is later revealed in the play, that every single time she receives money, she saves it for her husband’s cure. However, up to only this point of the play, the audience views Nora negatively. Ibsen has emphasized this again, by projecting Torvald to give her with nicknames “spendthift”. “Spendthift” is mentioned for a couple of times, therefore leaves a bad impression on Nora of how she just uses money wastefully. Also, through Torvald’s repetition of “little”, Nora is represented to perhaps a child, where Torvald has to look after, which is also referred to Torvald being a father figure as said above. Not only the audience is given a bad impression on Nora through the eye of Torvald, but also through her actions, specifically when she is “toying with Torvald’s coat buttons, and without looking at him”. These actions, especially “toying”, are usually seen in kids, where they are not aware of their behaviour. Ibsen has attached her to the characteristics of a kid to portray Nora. Moreover, Nora is also a representative image of a stereotypical wife at that time, where she only stays home and takes care of the children and the housework.
Lastly, Linde is also portrayed through her conversation with Nora, mainly through the conversation that she has with Nora. In particular is the amount of speech she is given, Ibsen portrays her to be quite and mostly listens to Nora, whereas Nora is given longer speech in which she moans about her difficulties in life. Linde, in contrast, has direct and short speech, at times where she only says “NO” as a reply to Nora’s question. This may make Linde appear to be a complete contrast to Nora, which the audience pays more empathy towards. Especially when the audience is revealed about her hardship “Not even a broken heart to grief over”. By representing her as a foil to Nora, Ibsen is successful in establishing Linde’s characteristics.
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