The journey to contentment through the determination of a person to appease to pressures given by society will ultimately lead to that person’s downfall according to societal standards. Throughout the play, the society influences the actions and decisions of the characters, especially Nora. Initially wanting to please her husband, Nora soon realizes that the only way to be happy is to make her own decisions based on what she wants. This mind set stays throughout the play and is completed when Nora tells her husband “There, I give you back your ring. Give me mine” (Ibsen 45). This was the culmination of all of Nora’s defiance through the play towards her husband.
