By: jojo
Q. How does Nora's first and only interaction with her children reveal her character? Nora's only interaction with her children in the play begins on page 27 and ends on page 28. Her attitude towards her children becomes obvious from the very beginning when she calls them "sweet blessings" and "darlings". Nora thinks of her children as something sort of like a plaything, a doll maybe.
Her description of their "red cheeks! -- like apples and roses" emphasizes the children's doll like appearance, with an imagery of bright red cheeks like those painted on dolls. Nora even goes as far as calling her baby her "sweet little baby doll." Her throwing the children's things around shows her carelessness to realize that she is the mother of her children, not their owner like one who owns toys. She acts like a kid playing with her toys, not as much as an adult taking care of her children. She plays hide and seek with emphatically, which shows her naive attitude towards her responsibilities with the children. Nora, in this scene with her children, shows off how carefree she is about everything.
She does not grasp her correct role with her children, which is to be more than just a playmate. Instead, she re-enacts her role with Torvald, only this time the roles are reversed. With her children, Nora could be the superior one and the children could be her dolls. This gives Nora joy that she could not receive from Torvald. Just as Nora manipulates Torvald in order to get what she wants, she manipulates her children so that she can feel content and superior.
Word Count: 273
