The Character of Torvald Helmer and Nils Krogstad in A...

Torvald Helmer is the least likeable character in A Dolls House, a play by Henrik Ibsen. Torvald is sometimes portrayed as a sexist pig. Such a reading does an injustice to Torvald. There is more depth to his character if one follows the hints that he had actively covered up for Noras father. The first hint came when Nora told Kristina that Torvald had given up his government post because there was no prospect of advancement. It may be that there was no opportunity for getting ahead because promotion was slow in the bureau, but it may have been because his most intimate co-workers (those who would have used the familiar Du with him) were aware of what he had done. While the management did not prosecute him (just as Krogstad was not†¦show more content†¦. . . I may very well be suspected of having been involved in your crooked dealings. They may well think that I was behind it--that I put you up to it.1 Helmer did not want to confront his own dishonesty, and in his efforts to cover up his past, he put all the blame on Nora and her heredity. Once, long ago, his lust for Nora was stronger than his desire for social and economic status. That is no longer the case. She can no longer influence him, not even by promising to do all her little tricks. He even spends so much money on his own clothes that Nora has to work secretly to buy the children new clothing. Now Helmers long work and sacrifice are beginning to pay off: after eight years as a struggling lawyer, he has just been appointed manager of the savings bank--a post that would not be available to anyone with the slightest history of dishonesty. Torvald Helmer has never been able to have a serious conversation with Nora. Is it that he could not risk having the subject of Noras father come to the surface except as a rebuke for her childishness? He was only able to deal with Nora as a doll because if he dealt with her as a person, he would first have to come to terms with himself and his failure to live up to the moral codes of his society and his profession. As he said at the end of Act One: An atmosphere of lies like that infects and poisons the whole life of a home. He has made himself so blind to the truth that when he speaks of Krogstads crime andShow MoreRelatedA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1293 Words   |  6 PagesIn 1879 A Doll’s House by Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen was banned throughout Britain as it challenged ideologies specific to those of Europe during the late nineteenth century. The drama presents itself as a social commentary by provoking the conservative ideals of the role of women and marriage. In the twenty-first century the performance stands harmless. 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