The Lie in Ibsen's A Doll's House An action or statement that may be considered a lie to some may, in fact, not be considered a lie to others : It could simply be information considered and omitted. The lie may appear to have an evil intent when first heard, but the true intention behind it may have been for helpful or protective purposes. In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, a lie is created to help and protect a loved one, but the result is a catastrophic act. The character Nora lives her life, in a sense, as a complete lie. She never thought for herself nor had her own opinions. Nora's father told her "what he thought of everything" leaving her "no opinion but his own" (Ibsen 428). If she had an opinion of her own, she would have remained silent, knowing that he would not agree. She played her "little doll" until she moved in with Torvald, her husband. She felt as if she had "passed from Father's hands to... [Torvald's]" (Ibsen 428). Now she played the role of Torvald's "little doll", pretending to accept his point of view on everything. By switching from her father's point of view to Torvald's, she lied to herself. The same form of lying or omitting the truth can be found in Kate Chopin's fictional story, "The Story of an Hour." Mrs. Mallard had been lying to herself for years. She was married to her husband for years thinking "she loved him, sometimes. Often not" (Chopin 297). If she had been honest with herself and confessed when she realized she didn't love him, the rest of her life wouldn't have been lived as a lie. The truth could have freed her from the unwanted marriage and she could have done what she really wanted in her life. Mrs. Mallard's feelings can be... middle of paper... a spell, Susan. Trifles. Literature and ourselves. 2nd edition. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day and Sandra Waller. New York: Longman, 1997:364-75. Hurt, James. "from Catiline's dream." Literature and ourselves. 2nd edition. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day and Sandra Waller. New York: Longman, 1997: 435-40. Ibsen, Henrik. A doll's house. Literature and ourselves. 2nd edition. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day and Sandra Waller. New York: Longman, 1997: 377-432.Johnston, Brian. "Three Phases of a Doll's House." Literature and ourselves. 2nd edition. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day and Sandra Waller. New York: Longman, 1997: 442-50.Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 138." Literature and ourselves. 2nd edition. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day and Sandra Waller. New York: Longman, 1997: 343.Sunset Beach. Orthographic productions. 1999. Channel 5. 10:00.