A Dollʼs House Reading Guide Coursework Assignment

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Act I
1. From the beginning of Act I, Torvald calls Nora several pet names. What do these names suggest about Torvaldʼs perception of his wife and his marriage?
2. Compare Noraʼs and Kristineʼs lives since marriage. Who is better off? Explain.
3. What might be the link between Noraʼs “contraband” macaroons and her “huge desire to say – to hell and be damned?”
4. What crime has Nora committed?
5. Do Noraʼs motives for committing the crime excuse her in some way?
6. What does Noraʼs tree decorating and chattering at the end of Act I reveal about her character?
Act II
1. When Nora sees the box of masquerade clothes, she wants to “rip them in a million pieces!” What does Ibsen symbolize with this characterization?
2. Discuss the foreshadowing in Noraʼs conversation with Anne-Marie.
3. Why does Torvald make such a decisive show of mailing the letter firing Krogstad against Noraʼs pleas?
4. After Dr. Rank professes his love, Nora demands the lamp be brought in. Why? Is this light real or artificial? What might Ibsen be suggesting about truth and light in the Helmerʼs household?
5. Some histories of the tarantella dance explain that it is used to fight off the venomous effects of a spider bite. Other interpretations suggest it represents a womanʼs frustration in oppression. Which of these explanations best fits Noraʼs violent practice at the end of Act II? Might both apply? Explain.
Act III
1. Why is Kristine willing to “risk everything” for Krogstad?
2. Why does Kristine encourage Krogstad to let Torvald read the letter revealing Noraʼs deception?
adapted from: A TEACHERʼS Guide TO THE SIGNET CLASSICS EDITION OF HENRIK IBSENʼs A DOLLʼs HOUSE
3. Dr. Rank suggests Nora should go to the next masquerade dressed as “Charmed Life,” and that she should dress “just as she looks every day.” What is the implication about Noraʼs daily life? Is it charmed? Or is the charm a masquerade? Explain.
4. Discuss the irony in Torvaldʼs accusation that Nora has played with him “like a puppet.”
5. Helmerʼs pronouncement that “before all else, (Nora is) a wife and mother” is contradicted by Noraʼs “before all else, Iʼm a human being.” Is this issue significant today, or is it only a sign of Ibsenʼs time? Explain.
6. Discuss Noraʼs decision to leave her family. Is it truly the only way she can reclaim her identity and humanity?
7. The last sound the audience hears is the door slamming shut after Noraʼs departure. Examine the theatrical, literary, and historical significance of this stage device.

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