Plot Points
Nora borrows money to save her husband’s life. Who does she secretly borrow the money from ?
Who is Krogstad ?
She illegally forges a signature. Why does she hide it?
Who is Nora?
This theme is reflected in Nora's realization that she's been treated like a "doll" all her life.
What is gender roles and expectations?
The decay of Torvald and Nora's marriage and happiness in the home.
What is a Christmas Tree?
“But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves?"-Torvald
Speaks to the sacrifices that Nora made for Torvald and how he did not appreciate them at all
What event triggers the "ending" of Torvald and Nora's relationship ?
What is Torvald's reaction to Krogstad's letter ?
This character thrives on control masked as care, treating his wife more like a prized possession than a partner.
Who is Torvald?
Torvald's concern with appearances ties into what theme about societal expectations?
What is Torvald's concern with his reputation in society over his own moral values ruined the relationships he had with those around him.
These represent a side of Nora that she can't express around Torvald. She keeps it hidden.
What are macarons?
”I cannot spend the night in a strange man’s room”-Nora
Nora states this as her husband being a strange man because they truly do not really know each other, although they have been married for eight year
Why is Krogstad threatening Nora?
Krogstad knows Nora forged her fathers signature , and uses it against her in order to pressure her to influence her husband to keep Krogstad employed at the bank.
This character offers Nora a contrasting version of female independence.
Who is Mrs. Linde?
what does Torvald addressing Nora with affectionate pet names and holding the mailbox key to himself symbolize?
Torvald using pet names for Nora and holding the mailbox key shows how controlling he is.
Represents Nora breaking away from Torvald's expectations and expressing herself.
What is the tarantella dance?
“But our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was Papa’s doll child.”-Nora
Emphasizes how Nora is unhappy in her marriage and she is only used to please the other person, never herself.
What is the significance of the tarantella dance?
Nora's attempt to distract Torvald from reading the letter, Torvald ends up getting upset at Nora for dancing too "freely".
He represents the consequences of dishonesty and societal exclusion, which serves as a warning to Nora.
Who is Krogstad?
At the end, Nora is torn between her perception that she needs to go away to find her own true direction in life and her awareness that she is abandoning her husband and children.
What is Nora's internal conflict between personal discovery and familial duty is meant to symbolize the motifs of identity, self-discovery, and inner conflict between social obligations and individual desires.
symbolizes men's control over women, especially during this time.
what is money?
“Free. To be free, absolutely free. To spend time playing with the children. To have a clean, beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it.”-Nora
Nora states how she can be “free” if she paid off her debt, but she instead says something that states why she still would not be free. She would still be trapped in a life where she never lives for herself, always being controlled by the person meant to love her.
How does the play end , and why was it controversial for its time?
Nora decides to leave her husband and kids , it was controversial for its time because it challenged the norms at the time. Meaning that it was unusual for a woman to leave her husband , even more unusual for a mother to leave her children.
A symbol of missed opportunity and lost love, this character serves as a reminder of the cost of self-denial.
Who is Dr. Rank?
What does Nora keeping secrets from Torvald reveal?
This shows how dishonest Nora is to Torvald and how much she lies to him, and suggests a theme of secrecy and hidden truths in the marriage.
The universal idea
How damaging valuing societal reputation and honor over mortality and personal relationships truly are.
"Poor thing, how you must have suffered. And he left you nothing?"-Nora
“Not even any sorrow or grief to live upon.”-Mrs. Linde
Mrs. Linde says this in response to Nora’s question about whether her late husband left anything behind for her. The quote shows that she did not marry her husband for love, as many women in that time period did the same. They married to survive and for support, not for love.