A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Example for Free

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Happiness is a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. In â€Å"A doll’s house† by Henrick Ibsen, the feelings concerning the home are not mutual. Torvald thinks that they have the ideal home and a perfect, happy life; Nora realizes that their life is far from perfect. Their home is like a playground, it is only all fun and games—there is no real love or care. A home that is like a playground, and not filled with love and care, is not a happy home. From the very beginning, Torvald treated Nora like a baby. Is that my little lark twittering out there? † (5). â€Å"Is it my little squirrel bustling about? † (6). Before all things that Torvald called Nora, he would put the adjective â€Å"little† before it, meaning it in a patronizing manner. He looked down on Nora from the start, but that’s how she thought it was supposed to be. He treated her like a little kid, and did not love her and care for her like she needed to be loved and cared for. Nora says to Mrs. Christine Linde that she was living a happy life. â€Å"The last eight years have been a happy time for me, I can tell you. (82). Nora believed that she was supposed to be treated like a little girl, just as Torvald treated her. She was not aware that she deserved to be treated like an adult and not a little kid. She deserved to be treated with kindness, respect, love, and care. At this point of the story, she has not yet realized how a husband is truly supposed to act. Nora compares their house during the past eight years she has spent with Torvald to a playroom; they had been like little kids just playing around, not a married couple. Our home has been nothing but a playroom†¦That is what our marriage has been, Torvald. † (288/289). Nora now realizes that they have not been living a truly happy life. Their marriage has been just like little kids playing ‘house’; they had been playing a ‘game’ and not truly acting like a married couple should. Nora decided that she wanted a husband who would love her and care for her, not one that just treated her like a little doll. â€Å"It was then it dawned upon me that for eight years I had been living here with a strange man. (302/303). This is when Nora realized that she wanted something better in her life and that Torvald was not right for her. She realized that Torvald was only a stranger, not really her husband. Spouses are supposed to love you with everything they have, care for you and adore you. All Torvald cared about was money; he thought money could buy happiness. Nora knew this was not true and she could not take it anymore, so she stopped considering him her spouse. Nora and Torvald think they have the ideal life, until Nora comes to the realization that Torvald’s life revolves around money and material objects. She realized that Torvald didn’t show her the love and care that he should have. So in order to be happy, she needed to be free from Torvald, so she divorced him. Divorcing him gave her the capability to go find somebody else to marry, and have a home with true love and true happiness. The key to having a happy home is having a home filled with love and care.