In A Doll's House by Henrick Ibsen, money symbolizes what some characters seek or have gotten into problems over. It seems that this whole play revolves around it and drama is created because of it. The common saying “money can't buy happiness” is proven untrue in the beginning of this play when one of the main characters, Nora, is always joyous and perky when she convinces her husband to give her more money. Throughout this play, money forces characters to show their true selves. For Nora, the young beautiful wife of Torvald, money is her addiction. It serves as the driving force for her to break the law when her husband becomes ill. Her whole life is turns upside down when what she seeks most is money and can't get it without taking illegal actions. Without a signature from her father she can't take out money because she is a woman. In this situation, money helps bring up an important theme in this play which is woman’s roles. Nora, as well as other characters, use money to fulfill their needs and we as readers are able to see the relationships between men and women in the household when it is involved. So again the play is brought back to money and a man named Krogstad, who is shunned by sociaty, helps Nora out but this puts her in his debt. Through her constant begging for money from her husband, Nora's life also becomes a constant lying game. Even though Nora had taken odd jobs and worked part time as a copier, it was not enough. When Krogstad threatens to blackmail her by telling Torvald what she had done, Nora begins to panic. Nora is then forced to pay back Krogstad and we can see and feel her desperation to find common ground. She is torn between paying her dues for relief and letting Torvald find out what she has done so he can fix it and become furious with her. Money not only affects Nora but also serves as something one of her dear Friends Kristine desperately needs. Kristine is a woman who had a tough life without much help from anyone. By the time she speaks with Nora she needs a job and Nora persuades Torvald to help her. Once Kristine hears of what Nora has done she thinks it best that Torvald knows and so when a letter is sent from Krogstad to Torvald, Kristine does nothing to prevent it. Readers learn early in the play that Torvald absolutely hates debt. Money then reveals to us Torvald's true character. Once we found out that Torvald knows what Nora has done, he is furious with her and doesn't give her the benefit of the doubt even though it was all for him. Without Nora's actions to get the money, her husband would have died. This pushed the play to it's end where Nora has to make a huge decision. She realizes that money has been crippling her and holding her back. Because of money Nora iss drawn to Torvald and became nothing but his doll. She was unable to learn valuable life skills and she couldn't grow up. Nora decides it is time for her to find her real self and she left her children and her husband behind so she can move on. When analyzed closely, A Doll's House is written around money and it shows that in this play money causes people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't. Money in this play symbolizes not wealth but actions and a constant problem circle. Opposed to the beginning of the play, Nora realizes that money can not buy her the life lessons she needs and so she grows as a person. Over all, money is what drives the play to reveal its main themes and push characters to make the decisions they do.
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