Torvald Helmer

In the play, “A Doll House”, by Henrik Ibsen, Torvald Helmer is a condescending, hypocritical, childish middle aged man. As a lawyer and newly promoted bank manager, Torvald lives in a middle class family with his wife Nora and their three small children which he spends little time with. He is shown to be overtly petty, excessively conscious of what others think of him, and is keen up keeping appearances. When Torvald finds out that Nora borrowed money he reacts poorly, causing his marriage to fall apart. Torvald is condescending to women in general with his attitude and belief that they are inferior to men and should be left with the children. He shows this most with how he treats his wife. He wants full authority over what Nora does and as such treats her like a child in a very condescending way. For example, at the start of the play Torvald asks Nora if shes been to the confectioner’s and Nora had to hid the macaroons she bought. He also shows his control with the allowance he gives her and other gestures such as picking out her costume. Throughout the play he also extremely condescending with the nicknames he uses for Nora, such as “my little …show more content…
When Rank tells Nora that he is dying, he refuses to tell Torvald because “[his] refined nature gives him an unconquerable disgust at everything that is ugly”. Rank thinks that Torvald is too much like a child to bear the news, so he does not want him in his sickroom. Torvald’s shows a childish pettiness for firing Krogstad. He fires him not for being immoral or a bad worker, but for having a “familiar tone” when speaking with him. Torvald obsession with appearance is also childish. One example is when he tells Nora he does not trust her to raise the children anymore after he finds out about the loan, but he tells her she must stay in the house to keep up the appearance of a good, happy home. This childishness eventually breaks down the appearances he wishes to