Argumentative/Persuasive - Essay Example

This became a contradiction because money was seen by Torvald as a source of bondage instead of an enabler which could allow them to do things and live a comfortable life and in his case, even gave a lease on his life. Unknown to him, that debt was made to fund their travel to Italy cure him of his illness and yet, he berated his wife that the debt made by his wife Nora deprived them of beauty about a home life. Another irony to this debt is that is viewed with guilt instead of gratitude (Oguer 86).

It is also viewed as a burden and not as what it is - just a debt that can be repaid in time. And because it was a source of guilt and burden, this debt was used against Nora by Krogstad to blackmail her to persuade her husband to keep Krogstad employment in the bank. Nora was so indentured to the debt that the mere idea of being free from it made her exclaimed “Free from care! To be able to be free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it!

And, think of it, soon the spring will come and the big blue sky [17]. Torvald is partly to be blamed for this perception of Nora to the debt because he berated him for incurring debt not knowing that this debt saved his life and should have thanked Nora for it and as a husband, should have helped her settle it which is huge contradictory attitude. In the end, this cost him his marriage. The next obvious contradicting definition of freedom was made by an old school friend of Nora, Kristine Linde.

In Kristine’s definition of freedom, marriage is a source of financial security which made her marry his husband instead of Krogstad who had been her old love. For her, marriage is not about love and happiness but comfort and money. Ironically, her marriage did not end up in financial security because when her husband died, she did not have any money that she now has to work and thus, asked Nora for a job where her husband Torvald works and hold a high position. Kristine Linde’s definition of freedom contradicted in two ways.

First, she viewed a marriage without love and affection as source of freedom which should have been a prison because she has to obligate herself to be with a person she had no ounce of love. She did not think marriage in terms of happiness but instead of a meal ticket albeit her life would become miserable as she confessed to Nora. In the end, she was even betrayed by her idea of her marriage because instead of having money to leave a comfortable life, she ended up with nothing. And when she had the means to support herself and her family (brothers and mother) she thought of it “a privileged to make the end of [her] mother’s life almost free from care” (Ibsen 13).

Again, this is a contradiction because her brothers and mother are dependent to her and therefore not free from care especially her mother who is in dote age and needs perpetual care. Ironically for Kristine Linde, caring for a family seemed to be a source of indenture obligation instead of a source of joy to be able to care of her family. No wonder she always ends up miserable. Another character in Ibsen’s Doll House who has a contradictory if not distorted sense of freedom is the shady character of Krogstad.

Krogstad was desperate