In the beginning of the play, Nora is content to play larks and squirrels for her husband, to steal cookies, to beg for money, and to limit herself for her husbandÆs happiness. She believes these sacrifices are part and parcel of the marriage contract, but she also believes her husband would make similar sacrifices for her benefit. In actuality, Torvald primarily views Nora as a mother and wife, while he objectifies her as a sexual object. When she prances around playing larks and squirrels, Torvald tells her, ôI pretend to myself that you are my young brideàthat, for the first time, I am alone with you û quite alone with you, as you stand there young and trembling and beautiful,ö (Ibsen, p. 106).

We see that Torvald only seems to appreciate Nora as a virginal and frightened young girl. He has little to no appreciation for her intellect or capacity for autonomous thought or action. Despite NoraÆs existence revolving around making Torvald happy, when she asks to go to Italy he refuses to take her. He tells her she is too ôfrivolousö and it is not his job to ôpander to her mood and caprices,ö (Ibsen, p. 106). Nora is unable to exert herself in any role other than wife (sex object) and mother (housekeeper). Nora will continue to make major sacrifices for her husband,

Rekdal, Anne Marie. ôThe Female Jouissance: An Analysis of IbsenÆs A DollÆs House.ö Scandinavian Studies, 74(2), 149-180.

NoraÆs efforts to hide her debt for her trip from Torvald help show the limitation and oppression in the roles of wife and mother in her era. She confides to Christine Linde that she will never be able to tell Torvald her secret. This will be true even when she is ôno longer prettyö and Torvald ôno longer loves me as he does now; when it no longer amuses him to see me dance and dress up and play the fool for him,ö (Ibsen, p. 105). IbsenÆs play shows the artificial and limiting nature of gender roles and norms in the Victorian era. Marriage is nothing more than male oppression of females, oppression that limits Nora to being little more than a pretty doll whose existence revolves around stifling her own thoughts and expressions to please men. Ibsen maintained that A DollÆs House demolished the fatade of marriage in his era, ôMarriage was revealed as being far from a divine institution, people stopped regarding it as an automatic provider of absolute bliss, and divorce between incompatible parties came at