A Doll House

Using short-essay format, answer one of following questions. Identify only the prompt # in your response (for example, #1, #2, #3…). Develop an introduction and critical focus, then support your answer with specific evidence from the text. Paragraph your response. In your conclusion, let your reader know why you believe your interpretation is significant in relation to your topic.

1. At the end of Act I, Torvald makes a remark which carries a good deal of dramatic irony. He says that an “atmosphere of lies infects the whole life of a home.” What “lies” are we aware of that Nora has felt obliged to tell? How much does she recognize the implication of his statement when she adds, to herself, “Poison my home? … That’s not true. Never. Never in all the world.” Although we are not aware of any lies that Torvald has told, is there any sense in which he may have “infected” his relationship with Nora? In what way does Ibsen complicate concepts such as lies, truth, the law as the play moves forward?

2. Dr. Rank introduces the concept of “moral disease” which Torvald also remarks on to Nora at the end of act I. He and Torvald are both referring to Krogstad, but Mrs. Linde offers another way to look at Krogstad, as a man who is “changed,” a “widower… with many children.” What is the significance of these altering perspectives within the play?

3. Is Nora a good mother? This is a broad question so it’s important that you base your interpretation, however, you respond, on clear textual evidence from the play. As you prepare to respond consider Nora’s attitude toward her children in act 1 and act 2. Is there any change; if so, why? Take time to look over the end of act 1 and the first section of act 2, Nora’s interaction with Anne-Marie.

4. According to Robert Evans, “Nora is often considered one of the first, most important, and most influential modern feminist heroines. Why, how, and to what extent does she still seem an exemplary feminist heroine today? Does she fall short, at all, of contemporary feminist expectations, or can she still be seen as a worthy feminist role model?”

5. Refer to the case of Laura Perterson Keiler as Ibsen’s source for Nora. Does knowing Keiler’s story influence your interpretation of Nora. If so, how? Ibsen himself comments that he wrote the play “without any conscious thought of making propaganda,” instead his task was to portray the value of human rights. How does Keiler’s story dramatize this?