Scribd
Upload
144 views2 pages

Act III Insights on A Doll's House

This document contains discussion questions about Act III of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Kristine is willing to risk everything for Krogstad because she finds purpose and fulfillment in caring for others. She encourages revealing Nora's deception so that the truth can come to light and understanding can develop. The implication is that Nora's daily life is partly charmed but also involves maintaining a masquerade to satisfy Torvald. When Torvald accuses Nora of treating him like a puppet, the irony is that Torvald and Nora's father have treated Nora as a puppet her whole life. Nora leaving is justified because she would never grow or develop properly if she remained in the household, where Torval

Uploaded by

api-524909819
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
144 views2 pages

Act III Insights on A Doll's House

This document contains discussion questions about Act III of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Kristine is willing to risk everything for Krogstad because she finds purpose and fulfillment in caring for others. She encourages revealing Nora's deception so that the truth can come to light and understanding can develop. The implication is that Nora's daily life is partly charmed but also involves maintaining a masquerade to satisfy Torvald. When Torvald accuses Nora of treating him like a puppet, the irony is that Torvald and Nora's father have treated Nora as a puppet her whole life. Nora leaving is justified because she would never grow or develop properly if she remained in the household, where Torval

Uploaded by

api-524909819
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A Doll’s House

Act III Discussion Questions

1. Why is Kristine willing to “risk everything” for Krogstad?


She wants to be back in his life, since she is unfulfilled as her brothers are grown and her
mother is dead. Working and caring for others is her life’s purpose.

2. Why does Kristine encourage Krogstad to let Torvald read the letter revealing Nora’s
deception?
She believes that this secret needs to be revealed immediately, and that there needs to be
understanding between the Helmers.

3. Dr. Rank suggests Nora should go to the next masquerade dressed as “Charmed Life,” and
that she should dress “just as she looks every day.” What is the implication about Nora’s daily
life? Is it charmed? Or is the charm a masquerade? Explain.
I believe it is a little bit of both. Nora and Torvald like to portray their lives as a very charmful
kind of life. On the other hand, there are secrets in the home, and the charm is just a
masquerade to satisfy Torvald, as he believes his wife’s only job is to be charming.

4. Discuss the irony in Torvald’s accusation that Nora has played with him “like a puppet.”
This is ironic because Torvald and Nora’s father have both played with Nora like a puppet for
her whole life. The analogy that Nora uses is the idea that Torvald has played with her like a
doll, as she used to play with when she was younger. The one playing with the doll makes the
rules, decides what the doll likes, and dictates their whole life, just as Torvald enjoyed doing
with Nora.

5. Helmer’s pronouncement that “before all else, (Nora is) a wife and mother” is contradicted
by Nora’s “before all else, I’m a human being.” Is this issue significant today, or is it only a sign
of Ibsen’s time? Explain.
There are still expectations in modern times for women to find a man and have children, but
the expectation that the woman must stay at home and tend to the children, never having to
use her brain, is not as prominent. It is more widely accepted that women could also be ones
bringing money in for the family, but it is still often frowned upon if a woman doesn’t get
married and have children. Nonetheless, the necessity for a woman’s humanity is becoming
more normal in modern society.
6. Discuss Nora’s decision to leave her family. Is it truly the only way she can reclaim her
identity and humanity?
If Nora were to remain in that household, she would never grow. Torvald is very close-minded
in the matters of a wife, as he can’t imagine a woman could possibly conjure up her own
coherent thoughts outside of tidying the house, tending the children, and remaining remarkably
beautiful. Therefore, Nora’s decision is justified as she believes she could not possibly raise the
children correctly, especially without the knowledge on how to live without a husband.

7. The last sound the audience hears is the door slamming shut after Nora’s departure. Examine
the theatrical, literary, and historical significance of this stage device.
This is also the last that Torvald ever hears from Nora, and no one in that house will ever hear
from her again, I am sure. This leaves the audience with a sense of sadness, and confusion as to
what the future will bring. Nora may learn that her actions in leaving her children may seriously
damage them, but for now Torvald is left all alone in a dim room. The door shutting is the hope
leaving their household.

You might also like