Happiness through Self-Realization In Ibsen's play A Doll's House we meet the beautiful young Nora on Christmas Eve. Nora Helmer appears to be a playful and affectionate young woman, full of life and zeal. As the play progresses, we learn that Nora is not just a "silly girl" (Ibsen) as Torvald calls her. He learns about the debt-related business world he has acquired by taking out a loan to save the life of his beloved Torvald. While Krostad's blackmail doesn't change Nora's kinky nature, it opens her eyes to her underrated potential. “I have performed tricks for you, Torvald,” (do you find a diff quote perhaps?) he exclaims in his confrontation with Torvald. He realizes he's put up a facade. This becomes one of the main driving forces of Ibsen's work. (Quote from Torvald and the Money). She immediately distinguishes the differences in gender roles and morals in Norway in the late 1800s. Even if Nora is willing to give the doorman double what he is owed, we assume that she is full of holiday spirit; Torvald has a much more sensible view on financial concerns. While he jokingly calls her his little spendthrift, he states that his misunderstanding is the result of her gender “Nora, my Nora, that is just like a woman” (Ibsen). Torvald believes its place in the house is merely ornamental, a trophy that serves as decoration for his home. Torvald constantly refers to her through the use of pet names such as (quoting animal names from the book) and only refers to her by name when scolding her. Torvald not only sees her as his doll, but also as his daughter (quote near the end of the story). By keeping Nora dependent and obedient to him, he plays the role of Nora's second father. Nora finally sees that her daughter is being treated the same way she has been treated her entire life, as aAlthough eating and lying about macaroons may seem trivial, why would you lie about a trivial matter? She not only lies to her husband about eating the macaroons, but also once to Dr. Rank. The most serious deception is that of the loan she took out to save her husband's life. While this is an outlandish lie, we can find it within ourselves to forgive Nora because her actions were selfless. Maybe if Torvald could have accepted his wife instead of constantly feeling the need to control her, she wouldn't have lied to him. Once Nora reveals her deceptive act to Mrs. Linde, we begin to see Nora's character in a whole new light. One who is much more mature and determined than previously thought. It is only when Mrs. Linde accuses Nora of not knowing a hard day's work that she finally reveals her biggest secret. It is through the common experience of sacrifice that unites them and brings them closer