Themes Of Animal Imagery In... A Doll House Animal imagery in Henrick Ibsen's play, The Doll House is a critical part of the character development of Nora, the wife of Torvald Helmer. The aforementioned play is a three-act play that takes place in the Helmer residence, in "a comfortable room, tastefully but not expensively decorated." It's the holiday season at the residence, "Christmastime" as it's told early in the play. Torvald asks Nora what she would like for Christmas. Nora wishes for money, because, unbeknownst to Torvald, she owes a large sum to Nils Krogstad for a promissory note loan he had given to her. The story goes on, and Torvald finds ou