What's in a Title

The title "A Doll's House" is very appropriate for Ibsen's play for multiple reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that the character of Nora is very childish and has doll like qualities. For example, Nora needs Torvald to constantly guide her and take care of her. Much like the human world would be for a doll, the world appears to be a place that was made for bigger and better people than Nora and she is merely trying to find her place in it. For this reason, Nora seems to be perpetually lost throughout the play, from her inability to manage money to not knowing how to dance the Tarantella.

Another key element of the play that qualifies the title is the setting. Much of the play takes place inside Torvald and Nora's home. With Nora being 'the doll', "A Doll's House" represents their home. This title immediately belittles anything Nora does because things that happen inside of a doll house must be less important that anything happening in the 'real' world. It is also apparent from the dialogue between Torvald and Nora that Torvald views Nora as his possession and inferior to his manly self.

Torvald thinks of Nora as his adorable, fragile wife and Nora goes out of her way to fit his perception. For this reason, Nora is perfect to Torvald. This perfection moves Nora towards 'doll' and away from 'human'.