a doll s house essay questions and answers

A Doll's House

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Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the play, Torvald refers to Nora in relation to different objects, animals, or images in their conversations.

• What is Nora’s general response to this Objectification ? ( topic sentence )
• Find 3 examples of Objectification throughout the play and explain the context and given circumstances of each.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize the ways in which these examples of Objectification demean Nora as an individual.

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2. Many of the characters touch upon the importance of possessing financial freedom within the play.

• Select one character and share their position on financial freedom. ( topic sentence )
• Find and discuss 2-3 examples in which their opinion on financial freedom informs their decisions.
• Does this character achieve financial freedom at the end of the play? Why or why not? Explain in your concluding sentence or sentences.

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A Doll's House Essays and Answers - A Doll's House Study Guide

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Essay questions and answers on A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen - Set 1

The essays below are mostly in marking scheme format. With points that examiners check.

It should be noted that in an exam situation, essays should be written in prose and not point form as in some of the examples below. In an exam, the "Introduction", "Body" and "Conclusion" titles should not be added in your essays. The examples below just guide on the format that your essays should take.

1. “Women are largely unappreciated for the roles they play in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.” With illustrations, discuss the validity of this statement.

Introduction All over the world, women do a lot to people around them but many a time, their roles and service to others around them go unappreciated. Women in the play, A Doll’s House by H. Ibsen do a lot that is not appreciated even by people who are close to them or no one seems to notice what they are doing.

Accept any other relevant introduction 2 marks

Points of interpretation/ Body/ Content

• Christmas decoration When the play opens, Nora is busy preparing for Christmas. She is secretly adorning the Christmas tree to unveil it as a secret to the family (p.1). During the previous Christmas, we are told that she shut herself up for three weeks making ornaments for Christmas tree. Helmer reveals: “it was the dullest three weeks I ever spent!” (p.8). his confession shows that he did not appreciate what she was doing to ensure that family has a happy Christmas.
• Loan Nora gets little money from her husband for daily family use but despite her financial obligation to Krogstad, she affords to buy clothes, gifts and toys for her children and the servants (p. 4). This is a great sacrifice on her part which goes unappreciated by her husband’s trip to Italy for his healing; she repays the loan for long using the pocket money she gets from him (p.21). She hopes that her husband would own up the guilt after discovering the secret about the loan and to prevent him from being blamed for her mistake, she is ready to kill herself once such a wonderful thing occurs. Despite all these sacrifices and selfless acts, her husband does not seem to appreciate her actions for at the end, when he discovers the secret, he refuses to forgive her and quickly makes thoughtless decisions against her. This is a great break of trust, a big betrayal to Nora who has lived all her life trying to please and care for husband.
• Selflessness Mrs. Linde has also done a lot that easily escapes the notice of those around her. She marries a man who is not her choice but is financially stable for the sake of her bedridden mother and two brothers. She says, “My mother was alive then, and was bedridden and helpless, and I had to provide for my two younger brothers; so, I did not think I was justified in refusing his offer” (p.14) Nora is not appreciated by Helmes for the sacrifices she makes for the family e.g. clothes or Torvald’s health improvement
• Peacemaker Linde decides to go back to Krogstad to save his reputation and to try to protect Nora and her family from Krogstad who is determined to expose Nora’s forgery. She wants to work not for herself but for someone else for she tells Krogstad, “Nils, give me someone and something to work for” (p.88). This reveals her selfless nature, an attribute that Krogstad doubts by saying, “I don’t trust that. It is nothing but a woman’s overstrained sense of generosity that prompts you to make such an offer of yourself” (p.88). Linde also plays a great role in helping Nora Navigate the turbulent waters in her marriage and home after her secret gets threatened to be revealed to her husband. She promises to talk to Krogstad, arranges a meeting with him and even reasons that Mr. Helmer should know about the secret to save the marriage (p.90). Despite the fact that all her actions might go unnoticed, it is clear that she has played a great role towards the play’s resolution.

Conclusion Women should be appreciated for the invaluable and integral roles they play in the society.

Accept any other valid conclusion.   (2marks)

2. Women play key roles in the society but more often than not their roles are never recognized. Using illustrations from A Doll's House support this assertion. 

• Men and women play different roles in the society but more often than not, the roles of women are overlooked as they are only seen as home makers whose area of specialization is child bearing in addition to acting as husband pleasers. This makes men who are considered as providers to be more appreciated than women. However, the reality is that women too play great roles in the society.
• Nora is a woman who plays a great role of saving her husband after his illness. The doctor recommends that they go south for some time so that Helmer can get better. The family has no resources to finance such a trip but Nora takes it upon herself to get a loan to finance the trip. Most people, Helmer included, assume that Nora got the money from her father
• We see Nora struggling to repay the loan where she tries to save as much as possible from what is given to her by her husband for domestic upkeep. Even when she is asked what she would want as a Christmas present, she asks for money which makes Helmer conclude that she is a spendthrift. Mrs Linde too considers Nora extravagant not knowing the sacrifices she makes to repay the loan. We learn that the previous Christmas, Nora had to lock herself in for days pretending to be doing some crotchetry when in reality she was doing some copying for people in order to get money to repay the loan. This shows that many people do not recognize her role in saving the husband's life.
• Mrs Christine Linde is another woman who has played a major role in the well-being of her family yet no one seems to recognize this. We learn that she was forced to sacrifice her love for Krogstad who had nothing to offer her by marrying a rich man that she did not love. She did this so as to provide for her ailing mother and also to support her younger brothers.
• After the death of her husband, she engages in odd jobs so as to support her mother and brothers and now that they are dead she feels the need to go slow on her struggles. Ironically people do not appreciate the sacrifice but rather judge her negatively as is insinuated by Norah when he asks her about her dead husband who left her nothing.
• Hellen, the maid, is also portrayed as a woman who plays a great role in the society yet her role is not recognized and appreciated. We learn that she was Nora's nanny who is now taking care of Nora's own children. Ironically, she had to leave her daughter behind so as to take care Of Nora. Bringing up someone else's kid is a major sacrifice on her part and she even goes on to take care of Nora's own children. She explains to Nora that she had to do it since she was needy and could not come over with her own child.
• Nora, Mrs Linde and Hellen are women who have played major roles especially in regard to providing for their families. Sadly, their roles are not appreciated by anyone. The society should stop looking down upon women and start appreciating the things they do for their families.

3. “Appearances are often misleading.” Validate this statement basing your illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

INTRODUCTION

It is human nature to judge a person from their outlook and not from who someone is from the inside. A well-dressed person, for example may be given special treatment over a shabbily dressed one. The character of a person, however, cannot be judged from how the person appears from the outside. This is well illustrated by Henrik Ibsen in A Doll’s House.

POINTS OF INTERPRETATION

• Nora has an unwavering trust in her husband Helmer. She believes that he really loves her and would come to her defense even when Krogstad publishes information concerning her fraud act. This stems from the way Helmer treats Nora with affection. She is however astonished when Helmer scolds her when he learns of the forgery. He goes ahead to restrict her from involving herself with the children.
• Nora trusts that Christine would put in a word for her and convince Krogstad to recall the letter, unread. This is after Nora had helped Christine secure a job by convincing Helmer to hire her. Once the opportune moment presents itself, Christine asks Krogstad not to recall the letter so that Helmer can read and know what ails the family. This results to disintegration of Helmer’s marriage.
• The marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer looks perfect yet it is not. Helmer refers to Nora using affectionate pet names and spoils her by giving her more money. He believes that Nora is perfect and could not hide secrets from her yet Nora is hiding the secret of the borrowed loan. Actually, Helmer knows that Nora took money from her father yet she took it from Krogstad and forged her father’s name in order to get the money.
• Nora seems like a spendthrift and a spoilt wife yet she works tirelessly. Both Christine and Torvald accuse Nora of being inexperienced and a spendthrift. She discloses to Christine that she does copy work and has to scrape off every penny in order for her to repay Krogstad. She spent sleepless nights the previous Christmas in order to make ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree.

In conclusion, it is true to say that a book should not be judged by its cover.

4. “Desperate situations call for desperate measures.” Referring closely to A Doll’s House, write an essay in support of this statement.

• Nora becomes desperate when she is informed by the doctors that her husband is very ill and needs to go to Italy for a year to recover yet they have no money. She takes a loan with Krogstad, an individual of questionable character who blackmails her later.
• Nora becomes desperate again when her husband fires Krogstad yet the latter threatens to expose both Nora and Helmer on the matter of Nora’s forgery. This leads Nora to plan for suicide to save her husband.
• Krogstad is desperate to regain his reputation which won’t happen if he is fired. He blackmails Nora to try and secure his position in the bank.
• Linde forfeits her relationship with the person she loves because he is penniless. This is because her mother is very sick and there are two younger brothers to fend for. Mrs. Linde marries a rich man to take care of herself, her mother and her brothers.
• Nora has to work in secret to get money to repay the loan from Krogstad. Out of desperation, she has to sacrifice any money due to her for her personal needs to pay both instalments and interest.

Accept any other valid points. Mark any 4 points 3:3:3:3 =12 marks Introduction: 2 marks Conclusion: 2 marks Language competence: 4 marks

5. Women in A Doll’s House challenge society’s perception of the female gender. Write an essay justifying the assertion. (20 marks)

Introduction

• In A Doll’s House, Nora, Linde and Hellene, outstrip the accepted social practices of the time by promoting women empowerment. (Any other relevant introduction)

Points of interpretation

The candidates should describe the event, the character involved and the background to the event as well as pointing out how the traditional role of women is challenged.

• W1: Nora secures a loan so as to take Helmer to Italy for treatment.
• W2: Hellene finds a job as a nanny so as to care for her child.
• W3: Mrs. Linde finds a job so as to care for herself and is supportive of her siblings and mother.
• W4: Nora decides to leave her husband and children and refuses to submit to her submissive role.
• In conclusion, the female characters challenges the stereotype afforded to women living in a male-dominated society. (Any suitable conclusion)

Language 0-4 1mk 5-7 2mks 8-10 3mks 11-12 4mks

6. The society presented in the play, A Doll’s House, is rotten! Using Nora, Torvald, Dr. Rank and Krogstad, discuss the truthfulness of this statement in reference to the aforementioned play.  (20mks)

Isben’s A Dolls House shows how this society is corrupt. Many characters are involved in one ways or the other with morally unacceptable behavior.

• To begin with, Nora forges her father’s signature to secure a loan when her husband got ill and could not raise the required amount for his treatment, Nora decided to take matter into her own hands. She went to borrow money from the bank(Krogstad) in the process Nora had to have some written documents to her to secure the loan. She then decided to forge her father’s signature which later come to haunt her.
• Secondly, Kregstad forging someone’s name to illegally get access to his money. As an employee of the bank, he took advantage of his position to exploit his clients. His act was later reveled and he was to face the law (punishment) but got himself out of it through corrupt ways. “…but Krogstad did nothing of that sort; he got himself out of it by a cunning trick, and that is why he has gone under altogether …”pg 46.
• Moreover, Dr. Rank secretly admiring Norah despite knowing that she’s a wife to Torvald his close friend. Dr. Rank still wants to have an affair with her. He feels Nora should be in his company as much as she is in Torvald’s. This clearly shows the level of rot that is portrayed in this society. When Nora tells him that she is certain that Torvald would willingly give his life for her. Rank interjects and says that it’s not Torvald only who can do that. This insicuates that he’s willing to do anything for her because of what he feels for her. “…do you think he’s the only one who would gladly give his life for your sake? I was determined you should know before I went away …”pg 68
• Finally, Torvald giving Mrs. Linde a job at the bank, he uses his position as the manager of the bank. He uses his position as the manager of the bank to offer Mrs. Linde a job illegally without any due process followed as a public institution, we expect that after the position Krogstad was holding fell vacant after his dismissal, the due process of recruitment and interviews were to follow. This didn’t happen. Instead, Torvald just offered it directly in his house to Mrs. Linde. This is being corrupt and illegal use of the one’s position and power. Pg 58 “… it is his/Krogstad’s post that I have arranged Mrs. Linde shall have …”

In conclusion, it is clear that corruption runs in the veins of most characters in this play for us to achieve a corrupt free society, the root causes of corruption should be identified and addressed promptly.

7. Women are generally loving and self- sacrificing. Validate this statement basing your illustrations on the play ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen  (20mks)

Introduction In today’s society, a person who claims to love you or really concerned about you would go to any level to show how much they care. Nora and Mrs. Linde clearly brings out this in the plays, A Doll”s House.

• Nora, proves her true love and concern when she risks by forging her father’s signature in order to acquire money for the sake of her husband’s health. She goes against societal expectations and provides financial support to Helmer when he fell ill and takes him to Italy to recover. This clearly portrays her love towards her husband.
• Nora sacrifices her comfort, a good and comfortable life and good clothes too in order to look for money and save as much as she can to pay the loan. She does odd jobs like embroidery and crocheting, she also saves some money given by Torvald and buys herself cheap and simple clothes with an aim of saving for the payment of the loan. Torvald also reminds her how she shut herself up for three weeks during the last Christmas Holiday making ornaments. This clearly portrays her love and sacrifice for her family.
• Mrs. Linde also sacrifices her happiness when she abandons Krogstad whom she really loved for a richer man. She did this in order to get money to take care of her sick mother and younger siblings. Later on the old man dies leaving her Childless, poor and lonely. This is real sacrifice for the sake of love.
• Christine Linde also sacrifices her honour and pride when she approaches Krogstad and apologies to him for her actions. She explains her reason for leaving him and asks him if they can come together as she feels empty and has no one to mourn for and no one to care for. Krogstad accept their proposal. This clearly brings Linde as a selfless person who is able to sacrifice for the sake of love and concern.
• Ann sacrifices her comfort in order to take of Nora and later Nora’s Children. Anne leaves her own daughter behind and moves in with Nora’s family to become Nora’s nurse. Nora had no mother and Ann fitted in the gap with lots of love. Even Nora wonders how Ann had the heart to give up raising her own child in order to work but it is clear that Anne had to make this sacrifice in order to fend for her own family. She gladly takes care of Nora’s children and contends herself with letters from her daughter on important occasions such as her wedding.

In conclusion, it is clear that a person who loves and is concerned about another becomes selfless and goes to any extent to prove this as brought out in the essay.

8. Using illustrations from the ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen, Show how lies and deceit are exposed in the play   (20mks)

• Whenever people find themselves in a difficult situation, they use lies to cover up for their actions. This is clearly potrayed by Henrik Ibsen in his play ‘A Doll’s House’.
• As the play begins, Nora behaves like an obedient and honest wife. However, this is not her real character.
• She does not want to reveal to her husband that she had loaned money from Krogstamnd to facilitate their trip to Italy.
• Krogstad deceit is exposed. He commits a forgery. This act of deceit destroys his reputation that he fins it difficult to get employed.
• Dr. Rank also comes out as deceitful and dishonest. He has been deceiving both Nora and Torrald for years about the depth of the depth of his feeling for Nora. Only when she attempts to seek his financial help does Nora finally see beneath the surface to the doctor’s real feelings. He has been lusting for his best friend’s wife all those years.
• Torrald, who has been deceived throughout most of the play, is finally revealed in the final act to be the one most guilty of deception. He has deceived Nora into believing that he loved and cherished her, while all the while he had regarded her as little more property.

(Mark any other well illustrated point)

9. The past always catches up with the present, sometimes with some unintended consequences. Using the play, A Doll's House, explain this statement.

The choices that we made in the past have consequences that show up in our present lives, sometimes, influencing it negatively.

• Nora Helmer made a choice in her first year of marriage that later leads to the breakdown of something for which she had worked so hard and persevered a lot of humiliation to preserve. It was a choice she had made out of her great love for her husband. Torvald Helmer was seriously sick because of overwork and the doctors had recommended that he takes a holiday in the warmer climes in Italy. Nora tried giving hints to make him get a loan for the trip and eventually told him to get it, but he would hear none of it In this society, only men could get loans with minimal obstacles. Nora takes a loan of 250 pounds to save her husband. The loan is given by Krogstad who gives almost 'impossible conditions' and Ann has to forge not only her father's name but also his signature. Three days after the loan was extended, her father dies.
• She patiently repays the loan for eight years. She has to skim some household expenses, work long hours on her knitting and get a copy typist work to put together enough to repay the loan and also keep her home running. By 'good luck', her husband gets a job at a bank as a manager. Krogstad is also employed in the same bank. In a twist of fate, Krogstad engages himself in some indiscretion, forgery, and in Helmer's housecleaning task, the first assignment is to get rid of Krogstad as he cannot work with the likes of him. Krogstad blackmails Nora to plead his case to keep his job or else he reveals her past indiscretion. But there are some complications. First, Mrs. Linde, an old school friend of Nora, and a girlfriend to Krogstad has requested for the job through
• Nora, and it has been given. In any case, Nora's guiles and white lies will not sway Helmer who has even written a dismissal letter.
• Matters go from bad to worse. Krogstad relents about the letter and tries to retrieve it. This is after they have had a discussion with his old girlfriend Mrs. Linde, and made up. Mrs. Linde is of the opinion that the letter should be read to end the lies and the hypocrisy in the house. Though apparently Krogstad tried to retrieve the letter from the mailbox, he did not succeed, Helmer discovers the secret the wife has kept hidden for years. He is upset that his image in the society will suffer a battering due to his wife's thoughtless actions. Ironically, he does not even pause to ask why she had done it in the first place. In his estimation, his wife should not even be a mother. She will contaminate the children, a belief current in the society that vices among parents destroy the children eventually. He does not even contemplate living as man and wife with such a contaminated wife and tells her that they can only live as brother and sister for appearance's sake.
• Nora is upset. She feels betrayed that this is what her husband feels. In fact, she is disappointed because he does not even take the burden of her shame, or even try to understand. His cruel judgment is devastating considering that she did it for him. She has always tolerated his openly condescending attitude towards her, petting her with the diminutive little this or that, reducing her to a play thing, a doll. She was Little Squirrel, Little Skylark, Little Doll, terms degrading whatever the intention. She has always lived in his shadow in accordance with social expectations.
• Helmer 'offers' her a lifeline, and 'forgives' her for her treachery. The chutzpah of the man is truly unbelievable. Nora has had enough of the marriage and she feels she is not the woman for the patronizing and utterly insensitive Helmer. She will no longer be a pet, a doll for him or the society to play with and she is walking out of the marriage to go and rediscover herself. NO pleading or even appeal to her religion or conscience is going to change her.
• Thus, we can conclude that our present circumstances are usually the consequences of the choices we have made in our paste Nora made a decision out of a deep love for her husband, not to lose him, but ironically the decision comes back to split them up. The marriage she sought to preserve is broken up. The consoling grace though, is that she comes to realize the kind Of man.

10. A marriage founded on falsehood and secrets is bound to fall apart. To what extent do you agree with the statement? Draw your illustrations from the play A Doll's House

Marriage should be founded on mutual trust between the wife and husband. Any sort of secret or insincerity between them is bound to bring irreparable damage to the marriage once the truth comes in.

• Nora has many secrets and falsehoods that she keeps behind her husband. She secretly borrows a loan from Krogstad to fund her husband's trip to Italy for his recovery. She has kept this matter a secret from him for eight years and is not ready to reveal it to him any time soon. The secret is finally revealed when Krogstad writes a letter to her husband that exposes the forgery. Helmer reacts angrily to this discovery and Nora angry that he does not understand her, decides to walk out of the marriage.
• Nora also is not sincere on how she uses the money she gets from Krogstad. She saves most of it to repay Krogstad's loan. She says that she has survived on cheap clothes and also keeps borrowing money from him to service the loan. All this is discovered at the end of the play. They react differently to the discovery making their marriages to break.
• Nora cheats Krogstad that there was nobody who had visited him when he was way while Krogstad has just left the room where he had been pleading with her to speak to her husband to prevent the sack. As she cheats him thus, her husband has just met with him as he leaves the house. Nora's speaking to Krogstad and refusing to admit it reveals a very serious weakness in the marriage. It shows mistrust and underscores the dark secrets that Nora has been keeping behind her husband. Finally, some of these actions contribute to the dissolution of the marriage.
• Nora cheats her husband that she has forgotten the dance practice and dances poorly so that she can compel her husband to help her practice. The truth is that she has not forgotten how to dance but wants to buy time so that her husband cannot open the letter box. She and Christine have agreed to keep him as much as possible from his letters so that she can speak to Krogstad first. Nora instead should just be open with her husband and tell him the truth. She increases tension in their marriage and is the one who suffers most. Finally, the truth comes out and the marriage breaks.

It is important for a couple to be sincere with each other no matter the seriousness of the matter. This can help prevent far-reaching damage to their marriage.

11. How could the submissive, selfish and silly Nora of the first two acts transform herself into an independent woman by the end of the last act? Is the transformation realistic?

While Nora puts on a convincing performance of being a submissive, selfish and foolish woman during the first act, there are early signs that this is not the real her. When she asks Torvald for more money despite having just been on a spending spree, she appears selfish and grasping. But we soon discover, in her conversation with Mrs Linde, that she is not squandering the money to satisfy her own desires, but using it to pay off the loan she took out in order to save her husband's life. In doing so, she has denied herself new things so that her husband and children can have all they need. Her arranging the loan and the trip to Italy - and her subsequent careful management of money and of her secret - show an astonishing strength of character. In addition, she secretly takes jobs to pay off the loan, a step towards the independence she finally embraces. But in the first two acts, Nora does not dare to acknowledge her own strength, let alone use it. There are many reasons for this. Chief among them are that her beloved Torvald, and society in general, would not comfortably countenance such strength in a woman. So it is easier for Nora to keep her head below the parapet rather than risk the consequences of showing herself as she is.

Nora's submissiveness to Torvald is not all it seems. By playing the doll-child according to his wishes, she manipulates him into the role of indulgent father-figure. But in spite of her skill at 'managing' him, there is one instance in which she desperately wants him to adopt the manly and dominant role: she wants him to rescue her from the ruin caused by Krogstad's revelations. When he fails to provide the strength she needs, she realizes that she no longer loves him, as he is not the man she thought him. It is almost inevitable that she is forced to find that strength within herself. Her realization that she wants to pursue her independence is not so much a transformation as an awakening to a strength she has possessed all along.

12. In what way does A Doll's House explore social issues?

A Doll's House shines a searchlight on Victorian society, drawing attention to its hypocrisy and use of public opinion to suppress individuality. The critic Bjorn Hemmer, in an essay in The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen, wrote: "The people who live in such a society know the weight of 'public opinion' and of all those agencies which keep watch over society's 'law and order': the norms, the conventions and the traditions which in essence belong to the past but which continue into the present and there thwart individual liberty in a variety of ways."

Torvald lives by society's norms, and when faced with a choice of whether to support his wife or society, he sides with society. When he realizes that she has broken the law in forging her father's signature on the loan document, he never questions the morality of such a law: it is left to Nora to do that. His aim is to preserve the appearance of respectability and ensure his continued acceptance in society. He has become so shaped by society's conventions that he cannot see his wife's suffering. In The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen, Gail Finney writes that in Ibsen's own notes for this play, he notes that a mother in modern society is "like certain insects who go away and die when she has done her duty in the propagation of the race." This view is confirmed by Torvald's rejection of Nora when he discovers her secret; he says she is not fit to bring up their children if her reputation is tarnished. For Torvald, public life has obscured and overtaken private self. In order to find out who she is and what she wants, Nora has to reject the life that society prescribes for her as a wife and mother, and strike out on her own. "I am going to see," she tells Torvald in Act 3, "who is right, the world or I."

But this is not simple. The nineteenth century saw a huge shift from the old social order of self-improvement within a stable rural society to a new social order founded on money. But women at the time could not control money without the authority of the man who 'owned' them, be it husband, brother or father. Single and lone women like Mrs Linde had more control over their lives and money than married women, who were discouraged from taking jobs and had to surrender money matters to their husbands. But as Mrs Linde's story shows, having no male 'provider' brought its own problems.

In sum, women had little power. Power lay with people like Torvald, who is a banker and lawyer. Torvald is able to dictate the fate not only of his family but of Mrs Linde (by giving her a job) and Krogstad (by giving away his job). He is gratified by the prospect of sacking Krogstad because he disapproves of his morality. In effect, the Torvalds of this world defined morality. As we have seen with regard to Nora's crime, they also defined the law, and therefore, who was a criminal. It is worth noting that Ibsen based the episode of Nora's forgery on a similar 'crime' committed by a female friend of his, which ended tragically for her, so he was drawing attention to what he saw as a genuine social problem. He supported economic reform that would protect women's property and befriended European feminists.

Other social issues addressed in the play include how women should be educated, both for the responsibilities of family and for self-fulfillment; the right of women to define their role in the family and society; the degrading effects of poverty on self-fulfillment (as with Mrs Linde and the Nurse); and the scourge of venereal disease (as suffered by Dr Rank).

13. How do different characters use the words "free" and "freedom"? How does the use of these words change throughout the play?

• It is Torvald who introduces the concept of freedom in the play, claiming that "There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt." He defines freedom in economic terms, as befits an age where power depended upon money. He is also adopting society's values, as debt was disapproved of and considered a sign of moral degeneracy. The dramatic irony behind his words lies in the fact that Torvald would not have any life at all if his wife had not gone into debt, though he does not realize this.
• Like Torvald, Krogstad sees freedom as moral respectability in the eyes of society. His job at the bank is the means by which he will "cut [himself] free" from the stigma of his "indiscretion" of forgery. The problem with this approach is that his "freedom" depends upon the whim of his employer, who also sits in moral judgment on him and can withdraw his job if he finds that he falls short in that respect.
• Mrs Linde feels proud that by working hard, she was able to support her brothers and mother, and "I was privileged to make the end of my mother's life almost free from care." Like Torvald, she is defining freedom in economic terms. But she is operating at a lower economic level than he is. She is talking of being able to provide the necessities of life, whereas he is talking of the relative luxury of being free from debt.
• In Act 1, Nora is delighted that soon she will have paid off her debt to Krogstad and will be "free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it!" At this point, she defines her freedom in terms of the very things that (as she later realizes) restrict her: her role as a submissive wife and mother.
• By the end of Act 2, Krogstad's letter revealing Nora's debt and forgery of her father's signature is sitting in Torvald's letterbox. Nora, who fears yet hopes that Torvald will shield her by taking the entire blame upon himself, means to disappear or commit suicide, thereby saving him from disgrace. She tells him: "Then you will be free." Thus Torvald will maintain his respectability by means of Nora's obliterating herself from his world.
• At the end of the play, Nora has been awakened to Torvald's narrow-mindedness and no longer sees freedom in terms of bondage to him or obliteration of herself. On the contrary, she defines freedom for herself and Torvald as complete independence from each other, as she leaves the marriage to forge a new life for herself: "I set you free from all your obligations. You are not to feel yourself bound in the slightest way, any more than I shall. There must be perfect freedom on both sides."

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

Torvald and Nora’s first conversation establishes Torvald as the member of the household who makes and controls the money and Nora as the one who spends it. Torvald repeatedly teases Nora about her spending, and at one point Mrs. Linde points out that Nora was a big spender in her younger days. These initial comments paint Nora as a shallow woman who is overly concerned with -material delights. Yet Nora’s generous tip to the porter in the play’s opening scene shows that she is not a selfish woman. More important, once the secret of Nora’s loan is made known to the audience, we see that Nora’s interest in money stems more from her concern for her family’s welfare than from petty desires. We realize that the excitement she has expressed over Torvald’s new, well-paying job results from the fact that more spending money means she can finally pay off her debt to Krogstad. While Torvald seems less enthralled by money because he doesn’t talk about it except to chastise Nora for her spending, he is obsessed with having a beautiful home, including a beautiful wife. He considers these things important to his reputation, and keeping up this reputation requires money. Although Torvald accuses Nora of wasting money, Nora spends her money mostly on worthy causes, whereas Torvald uses his for selfish, shallow purposes.

15. 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?

Torvald perceives Nora as a foolish woman who is ignorant of the way society works, but he likes Nora’s foolishness and ignorance because they render her helpless and therefore dependent on him. It soon becomes clear to us that Nora’s dependence, not Torvald’s love for Nora as a person, forms the foundation of Torvald’s affection for her. In Act One, Torvald teases Nora about wasting money but then tries to please her by graciously giving her more. Similarly, he points out her faults but then says he doesn’t want her to change a bit. He clearly enjoys keeping Nora in a position where she cannot function in the world without him, even if it means that she remains foolish. In general, Torvald disapproves of any kind of change in Nora’s constant, obedient demeanor because he needs to control her behavior. When Nora begins to dance the tarantella wildly in Act Two, he is unsettled. In Act One, Nora says that it would humiliate Torvald if he knew he was secretly in debt to her for his life, indicating that Torvald wants the power in his marriage to be one-sided rather than mutual.

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

By the end of Act Three, both Nora and Mrs. Linde have entered new phases in their lives. Nora has chosen to abandon her children and her husband because she wants independence from her roles as mother and wife. In contrast, Mrs. Linde has chosen to abandon her independence to marry Krogstad and take care of his family. She likes having people depend on her, and independence does not seem to fulfill her. Despite their apparent opposition, both Nora’s and Mrs. Linde’s decisions allow them to fulfill their respective personal desires. They have both chosen their own fates, freely and without male influence. Ibsen seems to feel that the nature of their choices is not as important as the fact that both women make the choices themselves.

Using specific examples, discuss how Ibsen's "progress from one work to the other" is due to a "perpetual scrutiny of the same general questions regarded from different points of view."

19. The past always catches up with the present sometimes with some unintended consequences. Basing on the play A Doll's House, justify the above statement.

• Most of the characters in the play, have a past (history) that has made the present day a rough and worrisome time.
• One's presen life will be affected and in many were dependent on their past. In 'A Doll's House, characters such as Nils Krogstad, Christine have a past that is altering their present situation
• Nora thought she could borrow money, forge a ignature and still come out unscathed. These past actions cause Nora too much trouble.
• Helmer gets seriously ill, doctors recommend they go to Italy. Helmer cannot take a loan, he gets angry when Nora hints they should. Nora,.....would like to go abroad like other young wives 
• Nora takes the matter into her own hands, borrows 250pounds from Krogstad, lies that her father gave her the money. To solve her dying father trouble and anxiety, she forges his signature
• When Krogstad's position at the book is threatened he blackmails Nora. Nora does everything possible to hide. She is forced to overwork - does crotchet work
• She is almost committing suicide, Suffers emotionally
• Krogstad is later affected by the consequences of his deceitful achon
• He forged a signature was caught but never admitted to his crime. He got out of it through ..a cunning trick,
• He has had to fight and work barelessly in order - to regain any ounce of respect that he had lost Dr. Rank for instance calls him a morally diseased person who goes out sniffing 
• The rigid society has made it nearly impossible for him to move beyond his pash crime(s), These circumstances force Krogstad into money business (shylock). he loans Nora money. His past is the driving factor behind why he blackmails Nora
• Krogstad will do anything to keep his job in order to slowly improve his reputation for his son's sake. He says " my sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town This post in the bank was the first step up for me and now your husband is going to kick me downstar again into the mud" . Krogstad's past illegal acts hurt him, and leads to his termination at the bank.

Torvald Helmer. - like a loving, caring husband gives her money when she droops her

• assures her (Nora) that he would give up his blood for her sake
• He even wishes that Nora might be threatened by some great danger
• He treats her like a doll and calls her pet names and she has to adopt his likings. Nora confessess that she had been simply transferred to Helmer both treated her like a doll
• Helmer arranged everything recording to his own taste
• Both Helmer and papa have wronged her
• She has never been happy but merry
• Consequences - Helmer begs Nora to live with him under the same roof as brother and sister
• She decides to leave Krogstad. She marries a rich man
• Krogstad's prospects seemed hopeless, then with a sick mother and two young brothers to take care of Mrs Linde did not think she was justified in refusing his offer
• Though she was privileged to make the end of Ther mother's life almost free from care, her action comes to haunt her later. When the husband died, there was nothing left she had to turn her hands low anything first a small shop them a small school ... the last 3 years seemed like one long working day with no rest
• She is so bitter... with no one to work for ...l am like a shipwrecked woman clinging to some wreckage - no one to mourn for, no one to take care for my life is dreadfully emply and I feel so forsaken

20. Human relationships are bound to break during hard times. Using relevant examples of the actions of female characters from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, write an essay in support of this statement.

Introduction When human beings face challenges, there are always attempts to overcome them. In the process of trying to solve the problem, they are bound to be misunderstood by their partners which can bring to a breakup an otherwise strong relationship/ bond. This is the case of female characters in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

• When Nora’s husband falls ill, the doctor recommends that he has to be taken for treatment in the South. This brings about a situation worth making a decision about. As things stand, Nora does not have any income to sustain the trip. She however has to save her husband’s life. In her quest to save her husband, she decides to seek for a loan from Krogstad who draws a bond that needs to be signed by Nora and her father. At this point however, Nora’s father is equally very sick and Nora cannot imagine taking for him the bond to sign. In this confusion, Nora decides to forge her father’s signature and as a result receives 250 pounds from Krogstad which enables them to travel to Italy. Torvald is hence treated. Later, Nils betrays Nora by writing a letter informing Torvald how the money to take him to Italy had been acquired. Helmer cannot take this lying down as a man. He calls Nora all sorts of names and even bars her from interacting with the children. This makes Nora very angry as she had done that out of her love for her husband. She decides to walk out of her marriage with Helmer.
• After Helmer has read the letter from Krogstad revealing the secrets of the bond, Helmer is so furious. He refers to Nora as a criminal, a hypocrite and a liar. This is despite the fact that Nora saved his life by acquiring the loan from Krogstad and taking him to Italy for treatment. In fact, Helmer warns Nora against interacting with the children as she would poison their minds. This situation is beyond Nora’s comprehension as she cannot believe that her husband can be that ungrateful. Even when Krogstad writes another letter forgiving Nora and promising not make the whole issue public, Nora is still adamant to forgive Helmer, she acted out of good will but Helmer abused her and looked down upon her. She decides to end the marriage by walking out on her family. She did not want to continue living in their family house yet she Helmer had barred her from being around the children.
• Mrs. Linde decides to give up on the man she loves for a richer man. Faced with an ailing mother and two young brothers, she has no choice but to choose the tougher option. She believes that the rich man would take care of her financial needs and help her take care of her family. As a result, her marriage with Krogstad collapses. Even though her mother eventually dies and the two brothers are old enough to take care of themselves, her marriage is no more as she tells Nora that even her rich husband had died and she had no one to live for. She had to put up with loveless marriage for her mother and brothers, when her husband dies, she finds no reason to mourn just because it was by sacrifice that she got married to him.
• Mother and daughter are also separated. Anne, Nora’s nurse, sacrifices her comfort in order to take care of Nora, and later Nora`s children. Anne leaves behind her own daughter behind because she had no means to take care of her and moves in with Nora`s family to become Nora`s nurse. Nora had no mother, and Anne filled in this gap with lots of love. Nora wonders how Anne had the heart to give up raising her own child in order to feed her own family. She gladly takes care of Nora`s children too, and contents herself with letters from her daughter on important occasions such as wedding.
• It is evident that human relationships can sometimes be affected by difficult circumstances which
• lead to separation of people who are otherwise supposed to be together. Marking points Introduction 2mks. Four well illustrated points 3:3:3:3. Valid conclusion 2mks. Language up to 4 marks.

21. Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's House. "Self sacrifice must be rewarded" Write a composition in support of this statement drawing your illustrations from A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.

Some characters in A Doll's House are portrayed as selfless. They give up their comfort and time in order to keep others. This is eventually rewarded . Mrs Linda abandoned Krogstad whom she loves and marries a rich man for the sake of her family. In the end, her brothers become independent. Nora sacrifices a lot for the sake of her husband Helmer. He is awfully sick and needs urgent care. Ehen they get married, Torvald leaves his office work becasue there is no prospect of promotion. With a view to providing for his family, he works early and late. In the process, he overworks himself and falls dreadfully ill. The doctor tells Nora, his wife, that the only remedy is for him to take a rest in the south (Italy). The trip would cost a tremendous amount of money. Since her husband would not allow Nora to borrow the money and would not accept help from a woman, Nora is forced to borrow 250 pounds from Krogstad and forge her father's name since he was ill. A woman is not allowed to borrow without her husband's consent. She taked Torvald to Italy where they stayed for a year. They take the journey after Tvar is born. Torvals comes back from the trip and is sound as a belt. Indeed, Nora makes a huge sacrifice for the sake of her husband. In addition, Nora sacrifices for the sake of her three children. She leaves her home fearing that she may corrupt her three children. Due to the societal expectations, she is convinced that she is a corrupt person as a result of her lies and pretentious nature her marriage to Torvald is full of deception. She lies about trivial things like eating macaroons to serious issues like borrowing money from Krogstad and telling her husband that she got it from her father. Torvald convinces her that such an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the whole life of a home. Fearing to deprave her own children and poison her home, Nora chooses to leave. Leaving her children is an act of self-sacrifice. She does it for their sake. At the end, she achieves independence from her suffocating marriage and gains freedom to try and understand her role in society. Mrs Linda also sacrifices for the sake of of her mother and brothers. She abandons Nils Krogstad whom she loves and marries a rich man whom she did not love or the sake of her family - her helpless mother and two little brothers. Nils prospects at that time seemed hopeless, she is proud and happy to make the end of her mother's life almost free from care. She is also proud of what she does for her brothers since they are since independent. This indeed was a big sacrifice on Mrs Linda's side. Lastly, Anna the nurse is also a selfless woman. She sacrifices her hapiness for the sake of Nora and her three children. She leaves her own child among strangers. Nora wonders how she would abandon her own child and she says she was obliged to since little Nora had no other mother than her. Nora says that she was a good mother to her when she was little. Anna benefits by getting a good place to live and also gets a salary.

22. “Outward appearance cannot be an indicator of someone’s character or value”. Write an essay to validate this assertion citing relevant examples from the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.

• People make assumptions based on first impressions. Characters project an outward look, which contradicts their true character and intention. This is shown in the play. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.
• Krogstad is not who most people think he is. He is presented as immoral but later proves to be caring and considerate. Rank says he is immoral and of questionable character. He starts by blackmailing Nora over the loan issue. Mrs. Linde promises to come back to him and these changes him. He promises to change and starts by returning the bond to Nora; proving to be good and considerate.
• Torvalds appears morally upright but turns out to be cowardly and selfish. He refuses the idea of borrowing a loan. He prefers honesty and upright life. He disposes of Krogstad saying that he is immoral. He however hid Nora's father's similar crimes. In the end, he turns out to be a coward and immoral. He calls Nora a horrible creature and refuses to understand that taking a loan was a sacrifice to save his life.
• Nora is presented as a naïve woman but turns out to be indigent and self-conscious. The husband thinks she is a spendthrift but she is wiser than as presented. She procures a loan to save Torvalds’s life. She works to repay the loan without the husband's knowledge. She challenges the gender roles that deny women the room to borrow loans without their husband's consent. she also forges her father’s signature. Later, she decides to leave Torvalds. She proves to be inept and knowledgeable and not the Doll that Linde and Ann think she is.
• Dr Rank is a bosom friend but in the end, he reveals his lust toward Nora, his friend’s wife. He is always at their house and spends time there. He is also Nora's confidant. One time he confesses his undying love and goes ahead to flirt with her. This shocks Nora. It was on purpose to be close to Nor. He proves a hypocrite.
• In conclusion, the characters in A Doll’s House are complex and cannot be understood without taking a closer look at Nora, Torvald, Krogstad, and Dr Rank.

23. The society can inhibit one from having personal freedom. Write an essay to validate this statement referring closely to Nora, in the text, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.

In the text A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the community prevents/restrains an individual from exercising liberty in their day to day lives as seen when Nora has to work secretly and when she is unable to make independent decisions.

• The society inhibits married women from taking a loan without their husband’s consent. During the first year of Nora and Helmer’s marriage, Helmer overworks himself and becomes dreadfully ill. The doctors come to Nora and tell her that Helmer is in a dangerous condition and that they need to live in the South for him to recover. Nora tries all means to persuade Helmer to take them to South without success. She tells him how much she wants to live broad like other young wives. She tries tears and entreaties and that he ought to remember the condition she is in. She hints to him that he might raise a loan and this makes him nearly angry. Helmer calls Nora a thoughtless woman and tells her he cannot indulge in her whims and caprices. With no other option left, Nora devices a way out of the difficulty by taking a loan of 250 pounds from Krogstad without Helmer’s consent. This is against the law as Mrs Linde reminds her that a wife cannot borrow without her husband’s consent. In the process of keeping this as a secret from Helmer, Nora suffers anxiety to the point of contemplating suicide. When Helmer learns about this, he abuses Nora and forbids her from raising her own children. Nora is forced to leave her marriage.
• Nora has to work in secret in order to repay the loan that she took for Helmer’s treatment. Nora acquired a loan of 250 pounds through Krogstad which she had to pay in installments. Nora admits to Mrs Linde that it had not been easy for her to meet the engagement on time and many a times she has been at her wits end. she further admits that it has been always so dreadfully difficult to manage the instalments. She has had to save a little here and there by not spending more than half of Torvald gives her for shopping/housekeeping/ she has had always bought the simplest and cheapest things but it was often very hard on her. She had had to go to an extent of devising ways of earning money. last winter she locked herself up doing copying work until quit late at night and desperately tired but it she felt tremendous pleasure to work and earn money. She declares that it felt like a man.
• Nora lacks financial freedom. After the Christmas shopping Nora is excited to inform Torvalds what she had got for the children and the maid. However, Torvald is quick to reprimand her by calling her a spendthrift. He asks her if she has been out wasting money again. He tells her that they can’t spent money recklessly. He calls her a featherhead when Nora proposes that they should borrow money until the next quarter when his salary will be due.
• Nora’s lacks the opportunity to make independent decisions. For the Tarantella dance Torvald dictates the kind of dress that Nora should wear during the party. Nora informs Mrs Linde that Torvald wants her to go to the Steinborgs dressed as a Neopolitan fisher-girl and dance the Tarantella that she learnt at Capri. Mrs Linde observes that Nora is going to keep up the character and Nora confirms that that is what Torvald wants of her. Torvald had had the dress made for Nora but now it is all so torn. Mrs Linde offers to mend it as the trimming had come unsewn here and there. When Helmer finds out the truth about Nora’s secret loan and the forgery he is incensed and berates Nora. Nora takes off her fancy dress and puts on her everyday dress, as a sign of liberation. She sermons Helmer to sit down for a talk and tells him that it is a settling of accounts P. 108,109. She highlights the fact that for the eight years of her marriage they have never had a serious conversation on any serious subject because Helmer belittles her for being a woman. Helmer tells her that he could not have shared with her worries that she could not help him to bear, showing his demeaning nature.
• Nora has to bear with Helmers domineering nature for the sake of peace in their home. During the settling of accounts, Nora informs Torvald that she had greatly been wronged, first by her father and then by him. She tells Torvald that her father told her his opinion about everything and she never differed from him because he would not have liked it. He called her his doll child. She feels that she was transferred from her father’s hand into Torvald’s. She has now acquired his taste and arranges everything according to his taste. She argues that she had been living with Torvald like a poor woman, just from hand to mouth for she merely exists to perform tricks for him. She feels that a great sin had been committed against her by Torvald and her father and it is their fault that she has made nothing of her life. In conclusion, it is evident that societal limitations can hinder someone from fulfilling their obligations.

24. ‘Desperate times calls for desperate measures’. Write an essay showing the truth of this statement using characters from ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen. (2mks)

INTRODUCTION( 2 MKS)

Sometimes individuals find themselves in a situation in which they have to react desperately and hence suffer the consequence or make others suffer.( Accept any other valid introduction i.e general /contextual/generalspecific.)

CONTENT ( 12 MKS)

• Loan Nora loved her husband Torvald and found herself in a desperate situation as she tried to source money to finance their trip to Italy as per the recommendations of the doctor. This was the only way Torvald would recover from over-working himself. Nora had tried convincing her husband to take a loan but that nearly got him angry. She tried asking to be taken for a vacation like other pregnant wives but totally refused. Having no other option Nora procured a loan from Krogstad behind Torvalds back. She also forged her father’s signature since he was very ill and she did not want to cause him any trouble. She later lied to Torvald that it was a gift from her father. For 8 years Nora kept the loan procurement deal a secret and would repay by installments from her savings of household expences and doing jobs such as writing and embroidery.
• Abandoned Love Mrs. Linde is another character who finds herself in a desperate situation. She had two younger siblings and a bedridden mother . She accepts a marriage proposal from an old rich man who was capable of taking care of her financial needs . In return she had to forfeit her love for Krogstad because he was not financially stable . Mrs. Linde had to endure a loveless and childless marriage for the sake of her family. Later her very sick mother dies and her two younger siblings are all grown and no longer need her help .She decides to go look for a job to sustain herself and find someone to live and work for.
• Blackmail Krogstad finds himself in a desperate situation as his sons are growing. Previously he had committed an indiscretion in his profession . He wants to rebuild his reputation for sake of his sons. Having no other alternative Krogstad decides to blackmail Nora to speak on his behalf to Torvald who has been promoted as the bank manager. Krogstad puts pressure on Nora that she should make sure that Torvald does not dismiss him from his position as clerk if not she goes down with him. This post had already been given to Mrs. Linde courtesy of Nora . Nora suffer psychologically and emotionally but Krogstad does not care about the money all he wants is to make his reputation change positively in the society and was ready to give his life for that. Nora’s persistence to speak on his behalf leads to the immediate dismissal of Krogstad. This in return makes Krogstad revenge by sending a letter to Torvald explaining the indiscretion that Nora had commited 8 years ago in regard to the loan procurement. Torvald reads the letter and gets very angry with Nora he calls her a criminal and even prohibits her from taking care of the children as she will infect them with her immorality. Eventually Nora realizes that she has been living with a total stranger and quits her marriage.
• Adopted daughter The nurse in a desperate move to cater for her daughter’s needs ends up giving her away for adoption . She does this because the man who had got her pregnant was irresponsible and did not care for their financial needs. The society in which they lived in did not appreciate single mothers. The nurse despite playing motherly role to Nora and later Nora’s children, which she does so well but misses out on taking care of her own daughter .She only gets communication from her daughter when getting baptized and married but only through a letter.

CONCLUSION (2 MKS)

From the above illustrations it is clear that the characters acted out of desperation .( Accept any other relevant conclusion) AWARD 2:3:3:3:3:2 + 4mks Language= 20mks

25. A Doll’s House is a play that shows that during tough times, the call for wisdom in choosing the best option is quite prudent. Write an essay to show the truth of this statement drawing your illustrations from the play.

Introduction: The introduction must capture the two sides of the question that when one is desperate he or she is supposed to make a wise decision (s) that will work for them. The candidate’s input in the introduction must be seen. At one point in our lives, we have encountered difficult moments and it is prudent we act quickly and wisely to resolve the problem for our own benefit and that of our immediate family members. It does not help when we stand aloof and choose to complain about it. The decision we make will go a long way in preventing much worse situation. Nora, Linde and Krogstad in A Doll’s House use wisdom to resolve challenging problems in their lives; consequently, saving their reputation. Accept any other relevant introduction.

• Nora decides to take a loan to save her husband’s life Torvald has been sick because he has been overworking himself dreadfully. The doctor recommends to Nora that he urgently needs to go south for medication. The family can’t raise the money to cater for travel and medical expenses as the whole venture is expensive to the family, as it will cost 250 pounds, a tremendous amount of money. Again, the society forbids women from borrowing without the consent of their husbands. The situation is made worse as Helmer doesn’t entertain borrowing and refuses to entertain her whims and caprices. Nora hatches a desperate though prudent plan to forge her father’s signature thus saving him a lot of anxieties during his last days. She uses this to obtain a loan of 250 pounds from Krogstad. The family spends one year in Italy and they come back when Helmer is as sound as a bell healthy wise
• Nora discretely pays the loan Nora has to pay back the loans she borrows from Krogstad in terms of quarterly interest and monthly instalments as per their agreement. When Helmer gives Nora cash for the family upkeep, she prudently spends some of the money and uses the rest to repay the loan since the burden of repaying this loan is weighing on her. She is desperate and works like a man by doing crotchet work, needle work, embroidery and copy work to supplement the repayment schedule. She locks herself every evening late in to the night for three weeks the previous Christmas doing such work. She is also forced to buy the simplest and cheapest of things and this makes Helmer question her spending habits thus calling her a spendthrift. She also has to learn how to make Helmer give her money which immediately seems to melt in her hands, though she uses the same in the repayments.
• Nora cleverly secures Mrs.Linde the much needed job. When Linde visits Nora, she requests that Nora helps her secure a job. Nora approaches Helmer over the same and he olliges but this means he will dismiss Krogstad and replace him with Mrs. Linde. Nora finds herself between a rock and a hard place. She therefore pleads with Helmer to spare Krogstad. Krogstad threatens Nora that he would have no choice but to disclose her murky business.Pg.76. She is even forced to reveal the secret to Linde that she forged a signature to procure a loan. However, Helmer is determined to dismiss him, forcing Nora to come up with strategies to divert her husband’s attention from the letter that Krogstad drops in his letterbox which includes pleading with him, dancing tarantella, demanding Helmer coach her for the whole night. (Pg8 1, 84) By doing this she manages to keep the secret of the loan deal for some little more time.
• Nora’s self-realisation makes her walk out on a sham marriage. Helmer is agit ted by Nora’s defense of Krogstad and sends Krogstad the dismissal letter. Krogstad revenges by disclosing that Nora committed a fraud as she secretly borrowed 250 pounds from him. This irks Helmer who calls Nora a criminal, a liar, a hypocrite and tells her he shall not allow her to bring up the children lest she also corrupts them. He also tells her that she will remain in his house but not as his wife anymore for he no longer loves her. Nora is shocked by his outburst since she had done it out of love and in fact had saved his life. She had not expected such a reaction from him since he had said he would shelter her from any danger that would threaten her. In fact, though she had been psychologically disturbed prior to this revelation (pg. 76, 77, 80) she had thought that a wonderful thing must happen. Probably, Helmer would defend her once Krogstad makes the threat real. It is against this backdrop that she gives back her marriage of eight years. She could not bear the betrayal from her husband. She prudently decides to go on a quest of self-discovery and tells Helmer that if they would ever reunite, both of them must be so changed that it would he a real wedlock and this gives Helmer some bit of hope at the end.
• Mrs. Linde selflessly sacrifices her love for Krogstad for the sake of her family Mrs. Linde has an ai1kng mother and young siblings to take care of but she has no means of income. The mother is sick, helpless and bedridden. She is in a relationship with Krogstad who cannot support her financially since his prospects seem hopeless at that time. To save the situation, she prudently dumps Krogstad and marries a wealthy old man who approaches her and offers to marry her. This is a man she does not love but she feels justified in accepting his offer since she will be able to take care of the family interests at the time. She is able of take care of her mother till she dies free from care. Her younger brothers are now well off since they have got situations and can shift for themselves, thus they need her no longer.
• Mrs. Linde comes to the rescue of Krogstad Unfortunately, the wealthy old man passes on and his business which was a precarious one crumbles down thus leaving her with no inheritance, not even children or even grief. In her joblessness and desperation, she attempts to run a small shop, work at a small school but fails. She feels she can no longer stay in the back water anymore and goes to Nora’s town in search of some work. While at Nora’s home she also has a job offered by Helmer. She also initiates her reunion with Krogstad since she has been lonely and yearns for someone to live for and work for. The two forgive one another and reconcile. She is a happy woman after this prudent decision. She also makes Krogstad write a letter withdrawing his threats to Helmer and returns Nora’s bond, citing something good that has happened to him (a happy change of fortunes).
• Anne decides to leave her daughter with strangers/ decides to quit her relationship with the wicked man. Daughter grows up well and she is confirmed and married and happy to invite her mother for both occasions. The wicked man did not do a single thing for her. She get a good place by being Nora’s nurse who did not have a mother to raise her. She also nurses Nora’s children P.51

Conclusion When we find ourselves in difficult situations such as Nora and other characters found themselves in, we ought to do all we can to reverse the situation regardless of our reputation

Marking points:

• The character;
• Background information leading to the desperate situation/decision
• The desperate prudent / wise action/decision made/reaction
• The anxiety the pain/the stress/the suffering that goes with the situation
• The outcome of the decision/result/consequence/benefit 

26. “Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for a person and leave you happy.” Verify this statement using illustrations from the play “A Doll’s House.” (20 mks)

Introduction Any relevant introduction.

• Mrs Linde is much in need of a job to keep her occupied and busy. She hopes that Torvald can get her something to do. Nora assures her that Torvald must help her. She says that she would think of something to please Torvald, before broaching the subject of offering Mrs Linde a job. Nora sours that she would be happy if she could be of some use to her friend.
• Mrs Linde jilts Krogstad her true but penniless lover for a richer man she did not love to take care of her bedridden mother and her two younger brothers. She is proud to have offered such help and happy that she made her mother’s last days free from care and her brothers are now grown and can shift situations for themselves. (pg 17)
• Nora is proud and happy for having saved Torvald. She is glad that it is through her that she raises money for the journey that saw Torvald’s health restored in Italy. She says that Torvald comes back as sound as a bell and since then he has not had an hours illness.
• Mrs Linde is ready to help Nora talk to Krogstad after he drops a letter in the letter box. This is the letter that is to expose the secret Nora wouldn’t like the husband to know. Mrs Linde offers to go to Krogstad so that he claims back his letter unread. She hopes that just like in the past, Krogstad would be glad to help her. She then leaves for Krogstad’s only to find he has already travelled out of the town.

Conclusion Any relevant conclusion.

27. The society in A Doll’s House is portrayed as one that inhibits personal freedom. Show the truth of this statement using Nora. ( 20Marks)

• Nora has to bear with Helmers domineering nature for the sake of peace in their home. During the settling of accounts, Nora informs Torvald that she had greatly been wronged, first by her father and then by him. She tells Torvald that her father told her his opinion about everything and she never differed from him because he would not have liked it. He called her his doll child. She feels that she was transferred from her father’s hand into Torvald’s. She has now acquired his taste and arranges everything according to his taste. She argues that she had been living with Torvald like a poor woman, just from hand to mouth for she merely exists to perform tricks for him. She feels that a great sin had been committed against her by Torvald and her father and it is their fault that she has made nothing of her life.

In conclusion, it is evident that societal limitations can hinder someone from fulfilling their obligations.

28. Drawing examples from Henrick Ibsen's "A Doll’s House," write a composition to illustrate the validity of the statement below. (20 marks) "True motherhood comes from self sacrifice to one’s family.”

INTRODUCTION Many have failed in their responsibilities to their families as many more succeed. Motherhood goes beyond giving birth or siring a child. It includes actively being involved positively in their life. At the family level, it includes the provision of meaningful sustainability to ones entire family. That is what is seen in the set text, A Doll's House, by Henrick Ibsen in the following instances.

• Nora, out of love and concern, takes a loan from Krogstad to enable her travel to Italy for the husband to get well.
• Christine sacrifices her love for Krogstad in order to find a way of helping her ailing mother and two younger siblings.
• Nora, convinced that her children aught to grow in a clean family environment, sacrifices her marriage,and walks out of her marriage.
• Nora, sacrifices her personal comfort to enable her family get all they need. She buys clothes and gifts for her children,and house provisions, and making her house be exactly as Tovarld wants it. These she does by denying herself good clothes as any woman would want. She also works hard and late on typing and crocheting to enable her meet her monthly loan repayments obligation.
• The nurse fails as mother for failing to be available for her daughter. Blaming it on the father of her daughter, she claims if working as Nora's nurse could give her good prospects then it was better. She an obvious an absent mother. The evidence we have is only the letters she(daughter)writes during her confirmation and when she was getting married respectively.
• Tovarld, from a professional point of view, states that those who have gone under( failed) early in life have had a bad mother. Asked by Nora why not father, he says mothers have a greater role and influence on children but agrees that fathers too. He gives example of Krogstad who is struggling to cleanse his reputation and image for the sake of his growing children. He has been a failure to them.

CONCLUSION As demonstrated above, true motherhood is in proper upbringing of children,conscious desire to provide to ones family, and being present to ones family members.

29. Money is a potential source of confusion and instability in the society. Write an essay that touches on this assertion with reference to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

Points of interpretation shall elucidate how many caused conflicts among

• Nora and Krogstad
• Nora and Torvald
• Krogstad and Mrs. Linde
• Torvald and Krogstad

30. Self-sacrifice and love is what is required for the sake of the family. Using Nora in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, write an essay in support of the above statement.

Introduction: Any relevant introduction

• Forgery . Nora secretly, against all the legal odds, forges her father’s signature and borrows money to help treat her husband.  She chooses to help her sick husband instead of her father, ( pgs 13,17-20,36-41)
• Insults . Nora tolerates Torvald’s decrees and condescension all the time for the sake of their family. ( Pgs2, 3, 6, 20, 57, 61, 95-97,102-120)
• Secret . Nora must fight to hide her loan from her husband Torvald because these knows he would never bring himself to accept that a woman did all this for him.  It would lower his self-worth.  And so she work in secret to pay off her loan because he fears to embarrass her  husband since it is illegal for a woman to secure a loan without her husband’s permission and thefore,with this she has to endure Krogstad’s blackmail. (Pgs12, 1921, 48, 72-76)
• Upkeep . Nora keeps the family warm and protected for weigh years despite her fears and tribulations. (Pgs 13, 30-31, 49-51) – Crotchet work, embroidery- Copying
• Children . Nora’s abandonment of her children is act of self-sacrifice. Despite her great love for them- manifested by her interaction with them and her great fear of corrupting them – she chooses to leave them, Nora truly believes that the nanny will be a better mother and that leaving her children is in their best interest. ( 103-120 )
• Loan . She struggles to repay the loan and its accruing interests from her partime work and house savings .(Pgs 13,21-22)
• Love. .Nora chooses her husband over her father yet the latter’s condition seems worse as he is critically ill.  She tells Mrs.Linde that did not want to bother her father with the bond.  She therefore forged his signature.  Her dies a few days a few days later, on 29 th September. (pgs 19-22)

Conclusion: Any valid conclusion

31. Juana is the pillar of strength for her family. Show the validity of this statement using illustrations from The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

The society in A Doll’s House is portrayed as one that inhibits personal freedom. Show the truth of this statement using Nora. ( 20 mks) In the text A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the community prevents/restrains an individual from exercising liberty in their day to day lives as seen when Nora has to work secretly and when she is unable to make independent decisions.

32. Too much preoccupation with one’s own interest can easily lead to self-destruction.” Write an essay to validate this statement using illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

• In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, characters who are self-centered and do things for personal gain end up hurting themselves.
• Torvald in his quest to guard his reputation lacks consideration for Nora. Despite Nora’s sacrifice by borrowing money from krogstad after forging her father’s signature he sees her as one who is out to destroy his status by calling her a liar, hypocrite and unfit to be a mother to his children. Nora after learning this decides to walk out of the marriage.
• Tovarld is reluctant to retain krogstad in his job since he believes 6that other people will think that his wife who influenced his decisions to do so. He wants to come out as someone who is independent in thought. Krogstad in a desperate attempt to retain h9iis position at the bank exposes Nora’s forgery which in turn hurts the husband
• Krogstad’s attempt to retain his position at the bank ends up hurting him. He blackmails Nora and tells her to influence the husband’s decision and when Nora is not able to do so he ends up losing his job as he is dismissed by Tovarld.
• Dr Rank frequently visits the Tovarlds since he is interested in winning Nora’s heart. And when he Nora comes to know of his intentions she rejects him. (pg 97-98)
• Torvald dismisses Krogstad from the bank for a rather petty reason. Krogstad is struggling to keep his job at the bank, in order to take care of his sons and to redeem and clear his name.
• Eventually, Krogstad sends the damning letter about Nora’s secrets to Torvald making him angry, insolent and openly inconsiderate. Nora decides to leave him and their marriage breaks.
• In conclusion, being selfish may cause pain to us. This insensitivity always goes unrewarded, surely.

33. “There is a lot of betrayal in our society”. Write a composition to support this statement drawing your illustration from the play “A doll House”, By Henrik Ibsen (20marks)

(Introduction 2 mks) Most people betrays others by deceiving who trusted them, failing to honor an agreement or simply disappointing a person who has put trust in them. A marriage partner may betray his or her partner by breaking the vow or being unfaithful; A politician betrays the citizens by not honoring his or her campaign pledges/Betrayal run through the play as show by characters such as Helmar, Krogstad and Christine.

• Helmer betrays his wife Nova by not defending and understanding her when he finds out the secret she has been keeping from him. Nova had hoped and feared for the wonderful thing to happen when Helmer finds out that she had lied and sacrificed her comfort and money to pay the loan that save his life. She had hoped that Helmer would take the guilt upon himself because Nova committed the forgery to save his life. To her wild disappointment, Helmer tells her that he can work day and night for her, bear sorrow for her but no man can sacrifices his honor for the one he loves. She also realizes that the Helmer has been treating like a doll to amuse and entertain himself. This make her realize she has been living with a stranger all a long and she decides to leave him.
• Krogstad betrays Nova by failing to Keep the secret a bond the loan he had advanced her. When Helmer is promoted to the managerial position in the bank he threatens to fire Krogstad, who also works in the bank, claiming that he is corrupt and describes him as morally diseased. Helmer also says that he feels sick in the presence of such people Krogstad blackmails Nova by telling her to use her influence and ensure that he(Krogstad) is not fired or else he would divulge the secret. When Helmer becomes adamant and refuses to be influenced by Nova. Krogstad makes good his threat and drops a letter with Helmer abuse and reprimand Nova.
• Christine (MrsLinde) betrays Krogstad, her trust but broke lover. When she realizes that she needs money to take care of her helpless and bed ridden mother and two younger brothers, she abandons her true love Krogstad ( because his prospects seemed hopeless then pg 86) and gets married to arichg man who later dies and his business collapses leaving her with nothing. The two meet again at Nova’s hase when Linde is looking for job and Krogstad is there to talk to Nova impending dismissal with an aim of blackmailing her. Christine explains the reason for her betrayal and then reconcile(pg 86-88)
• Linde also betrays Nova when She fails to help Nova by convincing Krogsta to withdraw his threat(letter)When Linde and Krogstad meet, they talk about their past and decides to reconcile. When Krogstad suggest that he will ask for his latter back, MrsLinde says that you must not recall your latter pg 90 arguing that there are too many lies between the Helmer. She takes advantage of Nova’s predicament to get back at her true love which make Nova feel betrayed pg93( To Christine suggestion that Nova “must tell her husband about it all(secret) Nova responds “I knew it” which express he disappointment and feelings of betrayal by Christine.
• Nova betrays her husband by borrowing a loan behind his back and keeping it a secret. Although the money was borrowed with an intention of saving his life, he feels betrayed that Nova has helped to get the loan by someday he consider “an unscrupulous man”(Krogstad) who can do what he likes not (Helmer)..(pg 104). When Nova reveals the secret to Christian, the letter brings out Helmers betrayal by his wife in her comment No, a wife cannot borrow without her husband consent marks 3:3:3:3=12mks Grammer and presentation 4mks
• BV1 Raml betrays the Helmers when he confess his desire for Nova despite knowing she is married to his friend Helmer(pg 68)

CONCLUSION (2MKS) In conclusion, many people in society cannot be trusted and prove to be false or faithful (2mks) Accept any other relevant conclusion

34. “Desperation can bring agony to oneself.” Using specific examples from Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, write a composition to justify the truth in this statement.

Introduction Sometimes when one becomes desperate to get or do something they may end up suffering in the process. This is the case with characters such as Nora, Dr. Rank, Helmer and others in A Doll’s House. (Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• Krogstad is desperate to redeem his reputation through the job he has at the bank and in so doing he suffers a lot. He visits Nora frequently hoping to arm-twist her to put in a good word for him to retain the job. He threatens her with dire consequences through a court action if she would not do so. He reminds Nora of the discrepancy he had noted in the bond. However, instead of retaining the job, he gets fired.
• Helmer is desperate to maintain his manly dominance over Nora and this makes him suffer. He struggles to keep her in good moods by giving her money. He cautions her against associating with those regarded as morally diseased such as Krogstad. He coaches her on the Tarantella so as to have a stellar performance at the Stenborg’s and is disappointed when Nora doesn’t dance as he instructs. Finally, when Nora decides to walk out on him, he pleads with her to remain even if they were to behave like a brother and a sister. He asks if he even write to her but Nora refuses. In the he is embarrassed and sinks down in his chair when Nora leaves.
• Christine is desperate to save her ailing mother and help her siblings and in the process of doing so she suffers. She leaves Krogstad to marry a rich man that would afford him the money with which to make the end life of her mother bearable. In the end she fails to find fulfillment in that act. The man dies leaving her with not even a child. Even the business the man leaves behind goes under and her effort to start a school and a shop collapses. She ends up haggard looking to the extent that even her former classmate cannot recognize her. She also confesses to Krogstad that she is a ‘shipwreck.’Pp 9-13; 87-88
• Nora’s efforts to hide the secret causes her agony. She has to save money from the little she gets for housekeeping to pay off the loan in secret. She juggles between giving the husband a good table and saving some money to pay the loan. She hides Krogstad from everybody around her and even when it is obvious that he has been entertaining Krogstad, he openly lies about  it. She is forced to lie to her husband that he has forgotten all the dance moves so that he can coach her again and in the process not read the letter that would reveal the secret. She contemplates suicide when she thinks the husband will know the secret. 13-19; 42-43; 61-62; 81-83
• Dr. Rank is hell-bent on winning Nora’s love and this causes him agony. When he get the chance with Nora, he whips up her sympathy by talking about his eminent death and flirts with her. He is desperate to have Nora in his arms. On noticing his ill intentions, Nora rebukes him for his ill manners. 63-70; 97-99
• Nora’s effort to get a loan to save her husband makes her suffer. She pleads with her husband to take a loan but he declines. She cannot take the loan herself because the society doesn’t allow women to secure loans without their husband’s consent. At the time of the loan she was pregnant with her first child her father was also sick. Desperate to save the husband’s life at the time her father was also sick, she forges the father’s signature to secure the loan. Pp. 13-21; 38-41

Conclusion Sometimes when we are desperate for something we may end up hurting ourselves. (Accept any other valid conclusion) 2marks

35. Write an essay to show that appearances can be misleading. Draw your illustrations from Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.

Introduction Indeed, appearances can be deceiving. In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, some characters portray naivety yet they are not. Others look harmless yet they are capable of blackmail.

Illustrations

• Appearances can be deceiving. Nora appears naive and helpless. Her role in the home is taking care of the children and her husband yet she is very intelligent. She takes a loan secretly and women are not allowed to take loans without their husband's consent. She forges a signature so that it looks like her father signed the bond. What Torvald does not know is that Nora takes a loan and to pay for his trip to Italy to save him as he is very ill. Nora makes him believe she also wants to go on a trip. He believes the money came from her father. What he does not know is that Nora deceived him.
• Torvald thinks Nora is a plaything and is expected to be a wife and a homemaker. When she tells Torvald she is leaving him, he tells her she is deserting her most sacred duties of being a mother and a wife. He does not realize that Nora is awakening and taking back her independence.
• He still thinks her as naive. She even tells him to shut up as she talks. She takes charge of the situation for the first time since she got married.
• Krogstad is a friend to Nora and helps her secure a loan only to blackmail her later. He wants her to ask Torvald to retain him at the bank or he will tell him about the loan Nora took. He wants to retain the bank job to help him repair his reputation which had been damaged.
• Torvald is confident that he has power over Nora. When he learns of his wife's secret letter, he severely reprimands her. When a second letter absolves them from the debt, he tells her they will live together but only for the public. When she tells him she is leaving, he begs her as he always thought he had power over her. Nora takes back the power that Helmer always had taken from her.
• Dr Rank is a loyal friend of Helmer, but the whole time he is secretly in love with Helmer's wife, Nora. He is loyal to Helmer though and retreats when Nora does not seem interested in his love.

Conclusion It is evident that appearances can be deceiving. Nora is not as innocent as Helmer thinks, Krogstad is out to blackmail Nora for his own good yet he at first pretends to be her confidant. Nora looks like she cannot leave Helmer but she does it so easily to Helmer's shock.

36. “Money is the source of all evil”. Support this statement with illustrations from the play the doll’s house by Henkrik Ibsen (20marks).

Introduction:  Accept a valid introduction

• Lack of money can lead to breakage of marriages. Mrs Linde divorces her husband, Krogstad, because he is financially unstable. She gets married to a rich man. Money can be a source of humiliation.
• Krogstad, a money lender, blackmails Nora in order for him to retain his job at the bank. Money can make people to focus on materialism at the expense of humanity.
• Torvalds felt discontented dealing with unsavory cases' as a lawyer. For that reason, he decided to get a job in a bank where he would be dealing with money.
• When the business of Mrs Linde's late husband collapsed, she was left with nothing to survive on.

Conclusion: Accept a valid conclusion

37. Using Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House for illustrations, write an essay in support of the statement: “Things are not always what they seem to be.”

Suggested response for question 2 The suggested responses only give the gist of the points to be discussed. The students expected to provide enough support and evidence for each point Suggested response for question 2 Introduction

• It is true that appearance can be deceptive. Ones initial judgement of a person or an issue may turn out to be the opposite in the end. Several character and issues in the play A doll’s house turn out to be the opposite of what they had appeared to be.
• Nora who at first appear to be Naïve and incapable of making decision in life turns out to be the opposite she had made a decision to acquire a loan that helps to save her husband’s life. At the end of the play she makes a decision to quit her marriage and develop herself independently.
• Torvald who had appeared as a loving a caring husband also turns out to be to opposite. The revelation of the truth about Nora’s loans brings out Trovald’s real character. He does not love Nora and only uses her as a doll to please himself
• Krogstad who at first appeared to be cruel turn out to be kind and forgiving. He is ready to withdraw his letter and save Noras marriage. He also accepts back Mrs Linde who had betrayed his love to mar a rich man.
• Mrs Linde is the opposite of what Nora had believed her to be Nora thought she would convince Krongstad to withdraw his letter but it is Mrs Linde who convinces Krongstas not to do so hence treading to the corrupts of Noras marriage.
• Dr Rank who was the family’s best friend always welcome in the house turns out to be Noras secret lover. This comes as a surprise to Nora who is unable to seek any assistance from him.
• Nora and Tovarld’s marriage which had appeared to be a happy one turns out to be one based on lies and manipulation hence it corruses at the end.
• It is clear from the discussion above that appearances can be deceptive. People should strive to give a true picture of themselves and not pretend

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A Doll's House

By henrik ibsen, a doll's house study guide.

Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879), written while Ibsen was in Rome and Amalfi, Italy, was conceived at a time of revolution in Europe. Charged with the fever of the 1848 European revolutions, a new modern perspective was emerging in the literary and dramatic world, challenging the romantic tradition. It is Ibsen who can be credited for mastering and popularizing the realist drama derived from this new perspective. His plays were read and performed throughout Europe in numerous translations like almost no dramatist before. A Doll’s House was published in Copenhagen, Denmark, where it premiered.

His success was particularly important for Norway and the Norwegian language. Having been freed from four centuries of Danish rule in 1814, Norway was just beginning to shake off the legacy of Danish domination. A Doll’s House was written in a form of Norwegian that still bore heavy traces of Danish. Ibsen deliberately chose a colloquial language style to emphasize local realism, though Torvald Helmer does speak in what Michael Meyer has described as “stuffy Victorianisms.” Ibsen quickly became Norway’s most popular dramatic figure. But it is the universality of Ibsen’s writings, particularly of A Doll’s House, that has made this play an oft-performed classic (see “A Stage History” for details of the play in performance).

It is believed that the plot of A Doll’s House was based on an event in Ibsen’s own life. In 1870 Laura Kieler had sent Ibsen a sequel to Brand , called Brand’s Daughters , and Ibsen had taken an interest in the pretty, vivacious girl, nicknaming her “the lark.” He invited her to his home, and for two months in the summer of 1872, she visited his home constantly. When she married, a couple of years later, her husband fell ill and was advised to take a vacation in a warm climate–and Laura, like Nora does in the play, secretly borrowed money to finance the trip (which took place in 1876). Laura falsified a note, the bank refused payment, and she told her husband the whole story. He demanded a separation, removed the children from her care, and only took her back after she had spent a month in a public asylum.

Laura and Nora have similar-sounding names, but their stories diverge. In Ibsen’s play, Nora never returns home, nor does she ever break the news to her husband. Moreover—here the difference is most striking—it is Nora who divorces her husband. The final act of the play reveals Torvald as generous and even sympathetic.

A Doll’s House was the second in a series of realist plays by Ibsen. The first, The Pillars of Society (1877), had caused a stir throughout Europe, quickly spreading to the avant garde theaters of the island and the continent. In adopting the realist form, Ibsen abandoned his earlier style of saga plays, historical epics, and verse allegories. Ibsen’s letters reveal that much of what is contained in his realist dramas is based on events from his own life. Indeed, he was particularly interested in the possibility of true wedlock as well as in women in general. He later would write a series of psychological studies focusing on women.

One of the most striking and oft-noted characteristics of A Doll’s House is the way it challenges the technical tradition of the so-called well-made play in which the first act offers an exposition, the second a situation, and the third an unraveling. This was the standard form from the earliest fables until the time of A Doll’s House, which helped usher in a new, alternative standard. Ibsen’s play was notable for exchanging the last act’s unraveling for a discussion, one which leaves the audience uncertain about how the events will conclude. Critics agree that, until the last moments of the play, A Doll’s House could easily be just another modern drama broadcasting another comfortable moral lesson. Finally, however, when Nora tells Torvald that they must sit down and “discuss all this that has been happening between us,” the play diverges from the traditional form. With this new technical feature, A Doll’s House became an international sensation and founded a new school of dramatic art.

Additionally, A Doll’s House subverted another dramatic tradition. Ibsen’s realist drama disregarded the tradition of featuring an older male moral figure. Dr. Rank , the character who should serve this role, is far from a positive moral force. Instead, he is not only sickly, rotting from a disease picked up from his father’s earlier sexual exploits, but also lascivious, openly coveting Nora. The choice to portray both Dr. Rank and the potentially matronly Mrs. Linde as imperfect humans seemed like a novel approach at the time.

The real complexity (as opposed to a stylized dramatic romanticism) of Ibsen’s characters remains something of a challenge for actors. Many actresses find it difficult to portray both a silly, immature Nora in the first act or so and the serious, open-minded Nora of the end of the last act. Similarly, actors are challenged to portray the full depth of Torvald’s character. Many are tempted to play him as a slimy, patronizing brute, disregarding the character’s genuine range of emotion and conviction. Such complexity associates A Doll’s House with the best of Western drama. The printed version of A Doll’s House sold out even before it hit the stage.

A more obvious importance of A Doll’s House is the feminist message that rocked the stages of Europe when the play premiered. Nora’s rejection of marriage and motherhood scandalized contemporary audiences. In fact, the first German productions of the play in the 1880s used an altered ending, written by Ibsen at the request of the producers. Ibsen referred to this version as a “barbaric outrage” to be used only in emergencies.

The revolutionary spirit and the emergence of modernism influenced Ibsen’s choice to focus on an unlikely hero, a housewife, in his attack on middle-class values. Quickly becoming the talk of parlors across Europe, the play succeeded in its attempt to provoke discussion. In fact, it is the numerous ways that the play can be read and interpreted that make the play so interesting. Each new generation has had a different way of interpreting the book, from seeing it as feminist critique to taking it as a Hegelian allegory of the spirit’s historical evolution. This richness is another sign of its greatness.

Yet precisely what sort of play is it? George Steiner claims that the play is “founded on the belief…that women can and must be raised to the dignity of man,” but Ibsen himself believed it to be more about the importance of self-liberation than the importance of specifically female liberation—yet his contemporary Strindberg certainly disagreed, himself calling the play a “barbaric outrage” because of the feminism he perceived it as promoting.

There are many comic sections in the play—one might argue that Nora’s “songbird” and “squirrel” acts, as well as her early flirtatious conversations with her husband, are especially humorous. Still, like many modern productions, A Doll’s House seems to fit the classical definition of neither comedy nor tragedy. Unusually for a traditional comedy, at the end there is a divorce, not a marriage, and the play implies that Dr. Rank could be dead as the final curtain falls. But this is not a traditional tragedy either, for the ending of A Doll’s House has no solid conclusion. The ending notably is left wide open: there is no brutal event, no catharsis, just ambiguity. This is a play that defies boundaries.

A Doll’s House Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Doll’s House is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Explain why krogstad says he would ask for his letter back

The music of the tarantella is heard above, and Mrs. Linde urges Krogstad to be quick. Krogstad now grows suspicious, questioning whether she is saying all of this simply on behalf of Nora. She denies it, and he then offers to take the letter...

Meaning of Excesses with regards to A Doll's House

What act are you referring to?

Mrs Linde States "i want to be a mother to someone, and your children need amother. We two need each other. Nils, I have faith in your real character I can dare anything together with you ?Based on this reading What does she want from life?

Ultimately, Mrs. Linde decides that she will only be happy if she goes off with Krogstad. Her older, weary viewpoint provides a foil to Nora's youthful impetuousness. She perhaps also symbolizes a hollowness in the matriarchal role. Her...

Study Guide for A Doll’s House

A Doll's House study guide contains a biography of Henrik Ibsen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Doll's House
• A Doll's House Summary
• Character List

Essays for A Doll’s House

A Doll's House essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House.

• Influence of Antigone on A Doll's House
• Burning Down the Doll House
• Ibsen's Portrayal of Women
• Dressed to Impress: The Role of the Dress in Cinderella and A Doll's House
• A Doll's House: Revolution From Within

Lesson Plan for A Doll’s House

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to A Doll's House
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• A Doll's House Bibliography

E-Text of A Doll’s House

A Doll's House e-text contains the full text of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.

• DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Wikipedia Entries for A Doll’s House

• Introduction