A DOLL HOUSE

Please provide your in-depth interpretation and analysis on the questions (at least 100 words per Discussion question #1, #2, and #3). Please try to include textual evidence (direct quotes along with the Act and Scene #) in your answer.

Discussion Question #1 for Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879, Act 1, pp. 534-552)

Why do you think Torvald calls Nora "my lark," "a squirrel," or "my featherbrain"? Does Nora mind his way of calling her? Torvald also calls Nora "a spendthrift." Does she agree with his view of her as a person who is irresponsible with money? Why does Nora ask Torvald to give her money for her Christmas gift? Is she a "spendthrift" [a person who spends money irresponsibly] as Torvald thinks? Is Nora naive and thoughtless, or is she trying to please Torvald? (or is she afraid of confronting him?) Why does she not tell her husband that she has been saving money to pay off her debt? What does Torvald know about the source of money they used for the trip? How has she been managing to pay the borrowed money of $1200 for the past several years?

Discussion Question #2 for Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879, Act 1, pp. 534-552)

What was Mrs. Linden's reasoning for marrying a rich man she did not love? Was she proud of her decision? What was Nora's reasoning for borrowing money without her husband's approval? Are there any similarities or differences between their decisions here? Nora feels proud of saving her husband's life, but she does not want to tell Torvald about the money she borrowed to save his life. Why does she want to make it her "secret" "joy and pride" (Act 1, 548)? Why does Nora hide the fact that she borrowed money to save her husband's life while revealing it to Christina? Why did Nora lie to her husband about her work last Christmas? What does she mean by "I almost felt as if I was a man" (Act 1, 542)? Nora says to herself, "I'll do everything to please you, Torvald. I'll sing and dance" (Act 1, 550). What does this say about Nora's view of Torvald and her role as a wife?

Discussion Question #3 for Ibsen's A Doll's House (Act 1)

Why did Nora forge her father's signature on the I.O.U document? Why did the law during that time not allow women to borrow money without their husbands/men's permission? Did Nora ignore the law that was unfair to women, or did she forge the document out of desperation to save her husband's life? Talking about Krogstad's moral rottenness as the reason for dismissing his position at the bank, Torvald tells Nora, "Nearly all cases of early corruption may be traced to lying mothers" (Act 1, 552). How does Nora react to this? Why does she tell her nanny Anna to keep her children with her [Anna]? What is she afraid of? Does she think that she is a liar and unethical?