Materialism in a Doll's House Essay

Total Length: 1907 words ( 6 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

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After the sacrifice, he gave her nothing. The true question is if Torvald would have ever done anything so selfless for Nora. We are left to believe that he would not because she was nothing more to him than a plaything and those can replaced when they break, give out, or leave. The only problem with Nora's love, other than the fact that it might have been immature, was that it was directed at a stranger, which she so eloquently points out. Torvald loves things and this is unlikely to change. Nora realizes this as she decides to walk away.

Materialism motivates much of the action in A Doll's House. It is safe to say that materialism is what both partners in the marriage share and it is what holds their marriage together. When Nora rejects Torvald, she is actually rejecting the entire notion of materialism. Nora's development throughout the play establishes a strong statement regarding materialism. She is willing to walk away from everything she has with Torvald in order to pursue this greater thing, which she cannot buy. For Nora, this step into the unknown must be filled with angst but we are left to wonder about the state of Torvald who never seemed to "get" what it was that Nora was telling him. Materialism has left Nora empty and it has left Torvald empty, too.
However, he has made this realization as his wife most assuredly has. She is able to leave everything behind because he is a stranger to her. She cannot reject a part of this situation without rejecting all of it. She realizes how shallow she had been and she is willing to embrace whatever life has to offer her because she is approaching it with a renewed vigor and excitement. She leaves the dollhouse in an attempt to find a real home. She leaves Torvald in the dollhouse and it of its belongings. It was a house intended for her but, in the end, the doll did not want the house that was filled with deception.

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"Materialism In A Doll's House", 18 November 2009, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/materialism-doll-house-17341