Nora Helmer's Choices The only thing every person is granted in life is the ability to choose. Choose whether to stand or sit; go or stay; speak up or stay silent and fictional characters should be no different. In Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, the protagonist Nora Helmer always makes decisions that she believes are beneficial. Nora is like a typical housewife: devoted to her husband, children and home. Right at the beginning of the show, she is seen returning home after a day of buying Christmas presents for her family. The reader understands that she is a loving person, but it also appears that she is naive. Everything changes as the game continues. Just from the way she handles situations and knowledge from her past, the reader understands that there is more to Nora Helmer than what her husband perceives. From big choices like illegally stealing money and leaving her husband to smaller choices like not wanting to see her children, in the story it is revealed that Nora is an intelligent and strong young woman. The biggest decision the reader learns that Nora makes is the decision to illegally obtain money to send her husband to Italy. The topic comes up when her friend, Mrs. Linde, tells her about her difficulties. Mrs. Linde believes that Nora would not understand what it means to struggle, because she looks at her like a child. Nora rebukes this idea by saying, “Now I will show you that I, too, have something to be proud and happy about. It is I who saved Torvald's life” (Isben 890). Nora is trying to prove that she too has accomplished great things. She may not have struggled as well as someone like Ms. Linde, but her life has been no walk in the park. However, Nora saves her husband's life... middle of paper... her husband, her children and life only proves her humility. Nora is humble enough to say that she cannot raise her children if she herself is still childish. This exemplifies how smart and strong Nora truly is. Nora Helmer's progression as a person is definitely evident throughout the show. Its development ties into one of Ibsen's themes for the play, namely how appearances can be unreliable. At first, the reader gets the impression that she is a very childish and senseless woman, but towards the end she is seen more as an intelligent and independent woman. For the first time she sees herself as a human being and has the right to explore her aspirations. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. "A&P." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Los Angeles: Pearson, 2012. 880-939. Press.