Death of a Doll: Father and Mother Figures in “A Doll's House” by Henrik Ibsen Nora's last actions at the end of “A Doll's House” by Henrik Ibsen they have certainly been the subject of much criticism. In fact, "she disturbed audiences so much that some popular productions changed the ending to have her return before the curtain fell" (Brooks). After all, why would a mother abandon her children and husband with no clear indication whether he will return? In its time, Nora's decision was considered shameful and virtually unheard of and continues to be a force, if less shocking, in contemporary analysis. A deeper understanding of Nora's reasons in her apparent abandonment of her family, however, requires. In Ibsen's work, "fatherhood, normally associated with the authority and stability of patriarchy, is associated with abandonment, illness, absence, and corruption" (Rosefeldt). Torvald, Krogstad, Nora's father, and Mrs. Linde's father all display tendencies that clash with Western stereotypes of patriarchal figures. Torvald, for all his talk about corruption poisoning homes, is willing to comply with Krogstad's demands when he learns of his wife's forgery. He blames Nora's actions on “her father's fragile values” (Ibsen 845), and tells her “The matter must be hushed up at all costs” (Ibsen 845). He believes that Krogstad's unwillingness to admit and atone for his mistakes has destroyed his home and his children's lives, yet right now he is preparing to do exactly the same. Over the course of the show she has proven to be intellectual and astute, as well as cunning. a mother who obviously cares deeply about her children. As he takes off his party dress, - which symbolizes the loss of not only his "doll's clothes" but also his childhood dependence - Torvald says that he will be "...consciousness and will for both" (Ibsen 847), two things that have been dictated to her by someone else her entire life. Her feelings and actions of individuality were suppressed by others, as well as by herself throughout the show. She doesn't see herself as fit to be a mother, a figure her children can learn from, when she herself is fundamentally just a child. When Torvald asks her why she won't stay for the sake of the children, she