In Ibsen's A Doll's House, the path to self-realization and transformation is represented by the protagonist, Nora Helmer. She is a woman bound by both her husband's domineering ways and her own. From a Jungian perspective, Nora's lack of a developed countersexual force, or animus, is the obstacle to her achieving personal freedom. The author manages to achieve this by creating in Nora the "archetype of transformation", which allows her to transform from a childish object belonging to her husband Torvald Helmer, into an independently thinking and self-realized woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The beginning of the story characterizes Nora as a childish toy controlled by her husband. From a Jungian perspective, his personality indicates the lack of balance of his animus. An indication of this is the way Nora tries to persuade Torvald to do something he wants. “NORA: Your squirrel would run here and there and play pranks, if only you would be sweet and give in” (Ibsen 196). Nora doesn't feel she can be honest with Torvald, so she relies on silly and flirtatious methods of persuasion. This behavior is prevalent throughout most of the game. In all honesty, though, Torvald refers to his wife in childish ways. Nora is simply responding to his view of her as a cute object. HELMER: "Come, come, the lark's wings must not droop. Come, don't be a sulky squirrel..." (Ibsen 172). It is this circle of devaluation and control that is favoring the inhibition of her animus in Nora. According to Jung, “the animus is the corresponding representative of male countersexual elements in the psychology of women” (Edinger 4 of 9). That is to say, it is the animus that represents a woman's masculinity. In order to distance herself from her husband or family, Nora would first have to focus her countersexual energies. However, this would be difficult for Nora to achieve due to numerous reasons, one of which involves 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 placed on male/female characteristics help contribute to the dearth of countersexual energies. It is with this in mind that some of the reasons for Nora's persona can be understood. The persona is "...the partially calculated public face that an individual assumes towards others. The persona is composed of various elements, some based on the individual's personal characteristics." propensities and others derived from the expectations of society and the early training of parents and teachers" (Edinger 3 of 9). That is, an individual's persona is the face he shows in public. Since it develops in many ways, including l 'early parental training, it is clear that Nora, from an early age, would be at a disadvantage in the development of her animus. A clear example of this is the way she talks about the way her father raised her NORA. When I lived at home with dad, he told me all his opinions, so I had the same ones; or if they were different I hid them, because he wouldn't have cared. She called me her doll-boy, and played with me as I played with my dolls" (Ibsen 220). Her antics and undeveloped sense of power and independence stem from the way her father treated her as a thoughtless child Nora's life is a continuation of the cycle of belittling and control that her father began implementing at an early age, except this time it's with Torvald.as Ibsen demonstrates with the character of Mrs. Linde, Nora's possibility of transformation and self-realization is not at all impossible. Linde can be seen as an ideally transformed and countersexually developed woman. Ibsen provides in her a glimpse into the possible future of personal Noramaturity. A good example of this is when Mrs. Linde talks to Nora about relationships and Nora's childish behavior. MRS. LINDE: "Now listen, Nora; in many ways you are 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 claim to be older and imply that she is wiser. As Jarvis states regarding the need for countersexual development, “The task of the second half of life, Jung said, is to reclaim our countersexual energies – in other words, to rediscover our lost self” (Jarvis 4 of 6). of life involves the search for one's countersexual strength. The cultivation and balance of a person's animus thus becomes one of the focal points of middle age. Ibsen further illustrates Jarvis's point when Mrs. Linde speaks to Krogstad about her personal change. MRS. LINDE: "I have learned to be a realist. Life and hard, bitter necessity have taught me this" (Ibsen 210). It is evident that he had a difficult life, from which he learned to be an independent thinker and achieved self-realization. In his wisdom, he sees the need for Nora to be honest about her situation. Being mature, experienced and perceptive allows her to see the couple's problems accurately. This is made clear when he talks to Krogstad again about the letter he left in Torvald's mailbox. MRS. LINDE: "Yes, in that first panic. But a whole day and night have passed since then, and in all this time I have seen such things in this house. Helmer must learn everything; this terrible secret must be revealed; those two they must come to full understanding; all these lies and evasions cannot continue" (Ibsen 211). Mrs. Linde emphasizes the need for Nora to be honest with Torvald, even if the marriage could suffer irreparable damage. He sees that the Helmer family is “…a nursery of hypocrisy and repression, possessiveness and lies” (Thompson 2 of 5). In addition to the visible aspects of Nora's marriage, she is informed of Thompson's point of view by the things Nora reveals about her relationship with Torvald. NORA: “You see, Torvald loves me beyond words, and, as he says, would like to keep me all to himself” (Ibsen 194). Nora unwittingly makes things like Torvald's possessive nature apparent to Mrs. Linde. Through her achieved self-realization and countersexual development, she provides Nora with an example of what can happen to a woman who changes her persona and attempts to find her "missing self." This is achieved through the advice he gives Nora and the examples of financial independence he provides. Case in point, ma'am. LINDE: "Yes, so I had to earn my living by a little shop, a little teaching, and whatever else I could find. The last three years have been to me like an endless working day without rest" (Ibsen 177). The description of Mrs. Linde's self-sufficiency and independence provides Nora with a living example of achieved self-realization, worthy of emulation. The last act of the opera describes Nora's transformation. From a Jungian perspective, the breakup with Torvald shows that he has begun to develop his masculine side. Ibsen, from the beginning, created in Nora the archetype of transformation, which "...pertains to a psychic process of growth, change and transition. It can express itself in many different images with the same core of meaning>