Traditional Ways Or Not Essay, Research Paper
Traditional Ways Or Not
From generation to generation plays have become a major part of our existence. For some families customs and traditions can either make or break a family. Some family traditions mean a lot. However breaking a family custom can start major uproars or even serious altercations between family members. For some families fights and altercations cam also bring them closer as a family. In the play ” A Doll House ” written by Henrik Isben, conflicts and customs play important roles for the survival of the Helmer family.
For Nora Helmer growing up in the shadow of her husband Torvald and her father was Nora s way of life. In the play ” A Doll House ” Nora is faced with a past mistake which leaves her in disbelief. Throughout the play Nora tries to hide the secret from her husband , but runs into a problem. Nils
Krogstad who was fired from the bank by Torvald is going to blackmail Nora if she does not help him get his job at the bank back. ” When your husband was ill, you came to me to borrow two hundred and fifty pounds.”
( Isben, 22). Nora must tell her husband Torvald that she has taken money without his consent, which in those days was against the law. Nora is faced with a very serious matter which can end her marriage if Torvald finds out about the loan. At the end of the play Torvald finds out about the loan which ends the marriage and breaks up the family for good. This shows how important family customs and traditions mean to the Helmer family.
To some people having a family means everything in the world. Nora on the other hand leaving her husband and children behind was easy to do. At the end of the play Nora Helmer leaves her family do to the fact that she does not love her Husband Torvald anymore. ” No, I have never been happy. I thought I was, but it has never really been so. I must try to educate myself- you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now.” ( Isben, 66). Nora feels that she has
been treated unfairly and needs to move on. Torvald forgives Nora, but it is not enough to keep her around any longer. However for Torvald losing Nora is not going to be easy to cop with. For most families when some one decides to leave it is never easy to just forget about them. Back in the early days it was uncommon for a wife to leave her husband. For Torvald Helmer and his children it is going to be a hard road to travel, but they must find a way to overcome the obstacles awaiting them throughout the rest of their lives.
Henrik Isben shows how important customs and traditions are to every family s life including the Helmer family. Families who separate because of conflicts and disputes need to realize how much each family member means to each other. Many lessons can be learned from such a famous play. As people we all need to remember that family should always come first before anything else in the world.
Work Cited
1) Isben, Henrik, ” A Doll House, ” J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1958.