Evidently Torvald's power over Nora becomes even more evident as he scolds her for pleading him not to fire Krogstead (a lawyer working under Torvald) "Of course! If only this obstinate little person can get her way! / Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff- (pg. 35). Essentially, this helps Torvald fabricate his position as a greater other to Nora and much like a puppet, Nora accepts her lesson because she simply does not want to "go against [his] wishes." (pg. 4) As dolls were play toys made to stay quiet and look pretty, Nora too stays obedient to the words of Torvald. And like a doll, because Nora is quite passive, it tells us that rather than dealing with problems, she lets them go, contributing to her own predicament.
Throughout the play Torvald also greatly patronizes her. He addresses her by petty nicknames such as "little lark," and "little squirrel," which at first glance strikes us as a couple deeply in love analogous to the petty talk we would normally engage with to our significant others in our daily lives. But in fact, this is not a loving relationship. The truth is closer to a puppet master talking to his puppets.
Subsequently in the second act, Nora displays other qualities, which are also apparent in dolls. We begin this act with Nora dressing up for her Tarantella dance. For her dance, Nora needs to wear a fancy dress and put on makeup just as a doll would. With her fancy dress Nora performs her Tarantella dance at a party, " She had danced her Tarantella and it had been a tremendous success"(pg. 55-6) which reinforces qualities to us that are very visible in dolls. As children play with their dolls they often make them dance or sing, just as in this case. Furthermore when her Tarantella dance is finished, Nora goes home early with Torvald. Rather than allowing her to stay as she had wished, Torvald takes her home to have his way with her, "Please, Torvald dear - please please - only an hour more! / Not a single minute my sweet Nora," (pg.
