Quester In A Doll's House

Great Essays
Throughout a Doll’s House How can Nora be portrayed as a quester?

“Goodbye, Torvald and my children”(Ibsen 62). Nora may not be seen as a quester, but there are specific details that may lead the reader to believe that she is one. She married a rich, young, and wealthy man, named Torvald. A quester is made up of certain characteristics that make he or she a true inquisitor. The first characteristic is there has to be a quester involved and a destination to go. A stated reason to go there and the challenges and trials en route. Finally, the real reason to go there. Even though novela ends right as Nora leaves we can infer from her situation.
Henceforth Nora is Ibsen's Quester whether she knows it or not. Nora is a young scandinavian mistress
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Nora decides she is gonna leave her old life behind. Leave everything behind, no turning back. Nora states “Now it’s all over. I have put the keys here.” (71) throughout the final moments of the play she describes how everything will be better for her and Torvald. She tries to completely forget about Torvald and her life, she gives him back her wedding ring and ask him if he shall do the same. As Nora says Torvald is legally freed from her due to the fact that she left him, telling him you don’t have to worry about me. She says how Mrs. Linde will take her in until she’s back on her feet again. In the near future she tells Torvald that she plans to go home. (Find quote saying how Nora wants to go home). The thing is Nora doesn’t have a home to go to because her parents died and we don’t know about her family. So the reader will be left to guess where home is. Nora has not the slightest clue what is gonna happen to her. “ How can I tell. I have no idea what is going to become of me.” (71). The readers doesn’t know what will happened to Nora due to Ibsen ending the play with a cliffhanger. “ Nora! Nora! Empty! She is gone.” (72). The leader is left to infer the ending of A Doll’s House by questioning Nora’s …show more content…
However those situations are not the “ real reason” for her quest. Foster states “The real reason for a quest never involves the stated reason.”(Foster 3). The actual reason for any quest in general including Nora’s is self- knowledge. Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement (Unknown speaker). The quest that Nora is about to embark on can potentially be life changing. This feeling of freedom hasn’t been experienced by Nora. She can be her own person now out in the real world, there will be barriers for her to cross but no ropes holding her back. Now is the time that Nora finds out who she really is. It’s also kinda ironic how Nora's name means honor. Up to this point she has been a follower she’s done as shes told and that's it. Now since she’s came out of her cage she can really live up to her name and reform her

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