Class Discussion of: “A Doll House”
by Henrik Ibsen
Give your observations and opinions about the play. Please note that many questions are divided into acts, so give your observations and opinions about each particular act.
How would you describe Nora in act one?
How would you describe Torvald in act one?
How would you describe Nora and Torvald's relationship in act one?
Notice the "pet names" that Torvald calls Nora. How do these suggest he sees her? Notice almost every name consists of three parts:
the word "my"--What does this tell us about how Torvald views Nora?
the word "little"--What does this tell us about how Torvald views Nora?
the name of some sort of animal--What does this tell us about how Torvald views Nora?
When Nora first comes into the play and tells Torvald she is home, what does he first say? What does this tell you about their relationship?
What one word that Nora says makes Torvald decide to come out of his office and talk to her? What does this tell you about their relationship?
Torvald accuses Nora throughout the play of being a "spendthrift," someone who doesn't know the value of money. But the evidence in the first act is against this. First, why did Nora take out the loan? Why did she have to have someone else sign it for her?
Notice that Nora has paid back every installment of the loan on time. What does this tell the reader about her?
How did Nora earn the money to pay back the loan?
What does this tell you about the real Nora versus the image that Helmer prefers?
When Nora's friend Kristine comes to see her, what do we learn about their relationship? How long has it been since they've seen each other? Why has Kristine come to see Nora now? What does that say about their relationship? How does Nora treat Kristine? How does Kristine treat Nora?
What are some details that suggest that, although Nora has taken responsibility in many ways, she is still rather naive (unworldly)?
Nora is based on a real woman, a friend of Ibsen's who also took out a loan to save her husband's life. When her husband found out, he had her put in an insane asylum. (Women could be committed to asylums for disobeying their husbands, leaving their husbands, enjoying sex with their husbands too much, etc.) Most people did not have any sympathy for the woman and also did not have any sympathy for Nora when the play was produced. So Ibsen (the author) creates two other women to show how much worse circumstances could be for women, hoping readers would sympathize with them if not with Nora. What is Kristine's story? How does she show the problems many women faced? What is the background of the nursemaid (Anne)? How does she show problems faced by women?
In act two, why does Nora refuse to see the children? (Hint: Look at what Helmer tells her and her reaction at the end of act one.)
Why does Nora flirt with Dr. Rank? Is she really planning to get involved with him?
One of the major themes in the play is the way in which parents corrupt their children. Name examples of this with Nora's father, Krogstad, and Dr. Rank's father. Since in these examples, the parents are all men, why does Helmer say that it is usually women who corrupt their children?
What solution is Nora planning to take at the end of act two? Why is she planning to do it? (Hint: it is not to get away from the problem; rather, she thinks that it will help Helmer. Think: What does Nora think Helmer will do when he finds out about the loan?)
The play is full of symbolism. Discuss the symbolism of any of the following: the Christmas tree and Christmas season, the tarentella dance, and the many changes of clothing Nora makes in act three.
What is Helmer's first reaction when he finds out about the loan? What does this show Nora?
What are some of the reasons that Nora takes the action that she does at the end of the play?
What are some of the reasons that Helmer says she shouldn't do it?
At the end of the play, Nora walks out of the same door we saw her enter at the beginning of the play. What could this represent?