I believe that one major theme that can be interpreted from the play “A Doll’s House” is self-actualization. Throughout the novel Nora goes through an identity crisis and eventually she figures out who she is. In the beginning of the play she seems to be a possession of Torvald. He calls her his songbird. He says that he provides treats, such as money, so that his songbird may sing pretty songs to him. This sounds like Nora is somewhat like a pet to him. Throughout the novel she gains independence and sees who she really is. In the end she speaks with Torvald like another man would talk to him. This means that instead of being obedient she would argue and prove him wrong. In the end she went through self-actualization. Self-Actualization is prevalent also in the following quote.
“When people appear to be something other than good and decent, it is only because they are reacting to stress, pain, or the deprivation of basic human needs such as security, love, and self-esteem.
The greater our need for food or safety or affection or self-esteem, the more we will see and treat the items of reality, including ourselves and other people, in accordance with their respective abilities to facilitate or obstruct the satisfaction of that need. Laboring under the effects of deficiency motivation is like looking at the world through a clouded lens, and removing those effects is like replacing the clouded lens with a clear one. Self-actualizing persons' contact with reality is simply more direct. And along with this unfiltered, unmediated directness of their contact with reality comes also a vastly heightened ability to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy, however stale those experiences may have become for others.
Practically every serious description of the "authentic person" extant implies that such a person, by virtue of what he has become, assumes a new relation to his society and indeed, to society in general. He not only transcends himself in various ways; he also transcends his/her own culture.”
The greater our need for food or safety or affection or self-esteem, the more we will see and treat the items of reality, including ourselves and other people, in accordance with their respective abilities to facilitate or obstruct the satisfaction of that need. Laboring under the effects of deficiency motivation is like looking at the world through a clouded lens, and removing those effects is like replacing the clouded lens with a clear one. Self-actualizing persons' contact with reality is simply more direct. And along with this unfiltered, unmediated directness of their contact with reality comes also a vastly heightened ability to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy, however stale those experiences may have become for others.
Practically every serious description of the "authentic person" extant implies that such a person, by virtue of what he has become, assumes a new relation to his society and indeed, to society in general. He not only transcends himself in various ways; he also transcends his/her own culture.”
(1908 - 1970)
This quote shows the power that self-actualization has on a person. Maslow says that the reason some people seem hurtful and mean is because they are searching for the right people who can fulfill their needs. I believe that Nora was looking for a way to become independent of your husband. At first she wanted her husband to put her before his reputation but when she realized this would never happen she wanted freedom. When she was strong enough to achieve that freedom she was an entirely different person that “transcended” her own self.
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