A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen

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Study Questions & Essay Topics

Study Questions

1. Compare Torvald’s and Nora’s attitudes toward money.


2. Why does Torvald constantly reprimand Nora for her wastefulness and foolishness while simultaneously supporting her behavior? What insight does this contradiction give us into Torvald and Nora’s relationship?


3. Compare and contrast Mrs. Linde and Nora at the end of the play.


Suggested Essay Topics

1. What is the relationship between Mrs. Linde’s arrival and Nora’s awakening and transformation?

2. In Act One, Mrs. Linde describes Nora as “a child.” Is this assessment of Nora’s state of development valid?

3. What does Torvald’s fascination with beauty and appearances imply about his personality? Do his attitudes change at all over the course of the play?

4. Compare Nora and Krogstad. Are there any similarities between them, especially as far as their relationship to society is concerned?

5. How do the characters in A Doll’s House use the words “free” and “freedom”? Do different speakers use the terms differently? Do they take on different connotations over the course of the play?

symbols

by diane94, July 15, 2012

i think the toys Nora bought for her children also symbolise something.

39 out of 58 people found this helpful

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Krogstad vs Nora

by indivij, November 04, 2012

it says in the character analysis that krogstad was shunned by society and wasn't let by people to move on from his past. i think that because of this, krogstad tries to blackmail nora for her forgery as a means of compensating for the unfair treatment he received.

11 out of 16 people found this helpful

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Hypocrisy

by liamfinlay, May 28, 2013

In our Lit class we also discussed the hypocritical nature of Torvald, and how he goes directly against what he earlier states are his attitudes and how he would respond (for example, he says "I am not so heartless as to condemn a man... because of a single false step", yet he is quick to condemn Nora when he discovers the forgery she had committed).

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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