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    The Dollhouse Analysis

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    naiheyue7539
    1) Nora borrows money without her husband's knowledge to pay for his medical bills when he was sick, forging her dead father's signature on the loan. 2) When her husband is offered a new job, a former colleague threatens to expose Nora's forgery if he is not given his own job back. 3) Nora's husband eventually discovers the forgery and lashes out at Nora, but the man who threatened her releases her from the debt. However, Nora realizes she has been treated as a doll or child by her husband and leaves to gain independence.

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    The Dollhouse Analysis

    Uploaded by

    naiheyue7539
    187 views2 pages
    1) Nora borrows money without her husband's knowledge to pay for his medical bills when he was sick, forging her dead father's signature on the loan. 2) When her husband is offered a new job, a former colleague threatens to expose Nora's forgery if he is not given his own job back. 3) Nora's husband eventually discovers the forgery and lashes out at Nora, but the man who threatened her releases her from the debt. However, Nora realizes she has been treated as a doll or child by her husband and leaves to gain independence.

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    1) Nora borrows money without her husband's knowledge to pay for his medical bills when he was sick, forging her dead father's signature on the loan. 2) When her husband is offered a new job, a former colleague threatens to expose Nora's forgery if he is not given his own job back. 3) Nora's husband eventually discovers the forgery and lashes out at Nora, but the man who threatened her releases her from the debt. However, Nora realizes she has been treated as a doll or child by her husband and leaves to gain independence.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    187 views2 pages

    The Dollhouse Analysis

    Uploaded by

    naiheyue7539
    1) Nora borrows money without her husband's knowledge to pay for his medical bills when he was sick, forging her dead father's signature on the loan. 2) When her husband is offered a new job, a former colleague threatens to expose Nora's forgery if he is not given his own job back. 3) Nora's husband eventually discovers the forgery and lashes out at Nora, but the man who threatened her releases her from the debt. However, Nora realizes she has been treated as a doll or child by her husband and leaves to gain independence.

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    A Doll's House Henrik Ibsen

    A Doll's House Analysis


    Summary It's around Christmas, and Torvald Helmer has found himself a new position in the bank which ensures a high salary. Nora's childhood friend, Mrs. Linde, visits after ten years and tells Nora that she needs a job. During their conversation, Nora reveals that she had borrowed a loan when her husband was sick to the point of death so that he could recover, and that her debt is nearly paid off. She also mentions that her father had signed the loan. Mr. Krogstad, following Mrs. Linde's example, asks Nora to use her influence on Torvald to secure his job, which is essential to regaining his reputation, which he sullied by committing forgery. Krogstad threatens Nora by telling her he has figured out that she too had committed forgery when she borrowed money from him to save Torvald's life: Nora father had passed away before the signing of the loan. Torvald comes home in time to see Krogstad leaving, and warns Nora never to lie to her husband. His mention of lying mothers corrupting the children worries Nora and she keeps away from her children. The next day, Dr. Rank, who is dying, comes over to visit, and because Nora has a great favor to ask of him, she flirts with him, leading up to his confession that he is in love with her. Though a little deterred by his confession, she rejects his confession and asks him to keep Torvald occupied while she speaks with Krogstad. Krogstad has been fired and leaves a letter in the mailbox, detailing Nora's act of forgery, and Nora, terrified that Torvald will be persecuted because of her crime, decides to commit suicide once her husband finds out about her act of forgery. She does her best to stall before Torvald reads the letter. Meanwhile, Mrs. Linde tells Krogstad that she is willing to marry him, and that she would ask him to take the letter out from the mailbox, except that she feels it is necessary for Torvald to learn the truth about his wife. Torvald finds the letter and he lashes out at Nora in a fury, revealing the true nature of their marriage. But soon, another letter comes, with the contract Nora signed in it, saying that Krogstad promises to release Nora. Torvald is overjoyed and forgives Nora instantly, telling Nora that he loves her more now, as a wife and as a child. Nora, however, is deadly calm, and decides to leave Torvald to teach herself about life. The story ends with Nora slamming the door on her way out from the Helmer household. Critical Response Nora is and always has been a doll first her father's doll, and now her husband's plaything. She willingly accepts her role and is happily doted upon by her husband, who seems to be a second father figure to her. Torvald's new job only adds to her happiness she now has more money to spend, and she declares joyfully to Mrs. Linde that they will have "pots and pots of money." Mrs. Linde at first seems the complete of Nora; she is widowed, has no one to live for, and is in desperate need for a job. Nora establishes her self-centered character by directing the conversation time after time towards her own happy life, yet even so, through the two women's conversation, it is

    A Doll's House Henrik Ibsen evident that both their marriages had been for the good of their family. Mrs. Linde goes on to recount the hardships she has encountered, and tells Nora that Nora doesn't understand the real world. But Nora argues that she does in fact know how hard life is, and for the first time, she shows her resourceful side, when she retells the story of procuring money to save her husband's life. Despite Nora's apparent cleverness and capability to deal with finances, it is clear that she is very dependent on her husband and sees her husband's words as the Truth. At this point, it is clear that Mrs. Linde isn't the only character who serves as a foil to Nora; Krogstad too to some degree is compared with Nora. Krogstad and Nora share similar plights: Both of them committed forgery, yet while Nora remained safe, Krogstad's reputation was damaged. To regain his reputation, he blackmails Nora and threatens her with his plight. It is a sign of Nora's devotion to her husband when all she worries about is whether or not Torvald's reputation will be tarnished. When Krogstad is fired, Nora accepts her fate calmly and yet tries to stall the inevitable an act that can be compared to Krogstad's visit to the Helmer household. Krogstad finally relents, when he is rejoined with Mrs. Linde. Here, it shows that Krogstad is too a sacrifice; his relationship with Mrs. Linde had been sacrificed for the benefit of her family, and though this sacrifice is different from the women's sacrifices, it still shares some resemblance. Krogstad finally regains what is his a relationship with his true love, and Nora regains what rightfully belongs to her at the end too, when she realizes that Torvald's feelings don't seem to run as deep as her feelings do for him. Torvald cruel words finally help Nora realize that she has always been a beautiful doll to her father and now to her husband, and that her only purpose in both households is to amuse the men. She finally regains her mind, her resourcefulness, her independence, and her freedom, when she slams the door upon her exit of the dollhouse, starting her life as a human and not as a doll.

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