In Ibsen's A Doll's House, the path to self-realization and transformation is described by the main character, Nora Helmer. She is a woman constrained both by her husband's domineering ways and by her own. From a Jungian perspective, Nora's lack of developed contrasexual force, or animus, is the stumbling block preventing her from achieving personal freedom. The author achieves this by creating in Nora the "archetype of transformation", which allows her to move from a childish object belonging to her husband Torvald Helmer to an independent and self-realized woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The beginning of the story characterizes Nora as a childish toy controlled by her husband. From a Jungian point of view, his personality highlights the lack of balance in his animosity. An indication of this is the way Nora tries to persuade Torvald to do something she wants. “NORA: Your squirrel would run around and do tricks, if only you would be kind and give in” (Ibsen 196). Nora doesn't think she can be honest with Torvald, so she relies on stupid and flirtatious methods of persuasion. This behavior is prevalent throughout most of the game. In fairness, Torvald refers to his wife in a childish manner. Nora simply responds to his view of her as a pretty little object. HELMER: "Now, now, the little lark's wings must not fall. Come on, don't be a sulking squirrel..." (Ibsen 172). It is this circle of depreciation and control that promotes the inhibition of her animus in Nora. According to Jung, “the animus is the corresponding representative of the contrasexual masculine elements in the psychology of women” (Edinger 4 of 9). That is to say, it is the animus which represents masculinity in a woman. In order for Nora to move away from her husband or family, she would first have to focus her contrasexual energies. However, this would be difficult for Nora to achieve for many reasons, one of which concerns the past. As author Cheryl Jarvis points out: "Historically, our culture has suppressed what we once called 'masculine' characteristics (power and independence) in women..." (Jarvis 4 of 6). In other words, historical restrictions on masculine/feminine characteristics contribute to the shortage of contrasexual energies. It is with this in mind that we can understand some of the reasons for Nora's personality. Personality is “...the partially calculated public face that an individual assumes towards others. Personality is made up of various elements, some based on the personal character of the individual. propensities and others derived from societal expectations and the early training of parents and teachers” (Edinger 3 of 9). In other words, an individual's personality is the face he shows in public. Given that it is developed through many means, including early parental training, it is clear that Nora, from a young age, would be at a disadvantage in the development of her animus. A clear example of this is the way she talks about the method her father used to raise her. NORA: "When I lived at home with Dad, he told me all his opinions, so I had the same ones too; or if they were different, I hid them, because it didn't matter to him. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me as I played with my dolls” (Ibsen 220). Her antics and underdeveloped sense of power and independence come from her father's treatment of her as a thoughtless child. Nora's life is a continuation of the circle of denigration andcontrol that his father began to establish at a young age, except this time, it's with Torvald. However, as Ibsen proves with the character of Mrs. Linde, Nora's chance for transformation and self-realization is not at all impossible. Linde can be seen as an ideally transformed and contrasexually developed woman. Ibsen gives in it a glimpse of the possible future of Nora's character.personal maturity. A good example of this is when Mrs. Linde talks to Nora about Nora's relationships and childish behavior. MRS. LINDE: “Now listen, Nora; in many ways, you're still like a child. I am much older than you, with a little more experience” (Ibsen 194). Ibsen gives Mrs. Linde a sense of maturity and experience by having her say that she is older and implying that she is wiser. As Jarvis states of the need for contrasexual development: "The task of the second half of life, says Jung, is to reclaim our contrasexual energies - in other words, to rediscover our missing self" (Jarvis 4 out of 6). of life involves the search for one's contrasexual strength. The cultivation and balance of a person's animosity thus becomes one of the focal points of quarantine. Ibsen further illustrates Jarvis' point of view when Mrs. Linde speaks to Krogstad about her personal change. MRS. LINDE: “I learned to be realistic. Life and hard, bitter necessity have taught me this” (Ibsen 210). It is obvious that she had a difficult life, through which she learned to be an independent thinker and achieve self-realization. Through her wisdom, she sees the need for Nora to be honest about her predicament. Being mature, experienced and insightful allows her to see the couple's problems accurately. This becomes clear when she speaks to Krogstad again about the letter he left in Torvald's mailbox. MRS. LINDE: "Yes, at that first panic. But it has been quite a day and night since, and during that time I have seen such things in this house. Helmer must learn everything; this terrible secret must be revealed; these two must come to a full understanding; all these lies and evasions cannot continue” (Ibsen 211) sees the need for Nora to be honest with Torvald, even if the marriage risks irreparable damage. She sees that the Helmer household is "...a breeding ground of hypocrisy and repression, of possessiveness and lies" (Thompson 2 of 5). Thompson by the things Nora reveals about her relationship with NORA: “You see, Torvald loves me beyond words and, as he says, he would like to keep me all to himself” (Ibsen Nora 194). , unknowingly, makes things such as Torvald's possessive nature obvious to Mrs. Linde. Through her self-realization and contrasexual development, she gives Nora an example of what a woman who changes her personality and tries to find her “missing self” can become. This is achieved through the advice she gives Nora as well as the examples of financial independence she gives. For example, Ms. LINDE: “Yes, so I had to earn my living with a small store, a little teaching and whatever I could find. The last three years have been for me like a day of interminable work without rest” (Ibsen 177). Mrs. Linde's depiction of self-reliance and independence gives Nora a living example of self-realization, worthy of imitation. The last act of the play depicts Nora's transformation. From a Jungian point of view, the breakup with Torvald proves that she has begun to develop her masculine side. Ibsen, from the very beginning, created in Nora the archetype of transformation, which "...>