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Act 2 A Dolls House

1. Nora wants to destroy her masquerade dress as it represents her facade of a perfect marriage falling apart amidst her suppressed emotions and financial troubles coming to light. 2. Nora's conversation with Anne-Marie about leaving forever foreshadows that she wants to escape her problems, though fears leaving her children. 3. Torvald makes a show of firing Krogstad against Nora's pleas to assert power over her after she offended and insulted him. 4. Nora demands light be brought in after Dr. Rank's confession to see if he can show his true self while vulnerable, suggesting truth and reality are obscured in the Helmer household.

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648 views2 pages

Act 2 A Dolls House

1. Nora wants to destroy her masquerade dress as it represents her facade of a perfect marriage falling apart amidst her suppressed emotions and financial troubles coming to light. 2. Nora's conversation with Anne-Marie about leaving forever foreshadows that she wants to escape her problems, though fears leaving her children. 3. Torvald makes a show of firing Krogstad against Nora's pleas to assert power over her after she offended and insulted him. 4. Nora demands light be brought in after Dr. Rank's confession to see if he can show his true self while vulnerable, suggesting truth and reality are obscured in the Helmer household.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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A Doll’s House 

Act II Discussion Questions

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?
It shows that her character has some anger issues. She has a lot of suppressed emotion
and wants to release it somehow. The fine dresses are a representation of the spending of
money, and presently her feeling toward money is harsh because it’s the stem of all her
problems. Also, the dress is for a costume party, and the truth of her crime has begun to seep
through the costume she puts on. The dress could also represent her marriage and she want to
rip up the idea that it’s perfect.

2. Discuss the foreshadowing in Nora’s conversation with Anne-Marie.


She talks about leaving forever. However, she is worried about what her children’s lives
will be like if she left. This could be foreshadowing the idea that Nora wants to leave and get
away from her problems. When she goes to leave though, the thought of having to leave all of
her children will be what makes her stay.

3. Why does Torvald make such a decisive show of mailing the letter firing Krogstad against
Nora’s pleas?
Nora has offended him by trying to tell him what to do. Also she insulted him by saying
his point of view is narrow minded. It was a move of power to take something away from her
that she really wanted. It’s a tactic a lot of adults use with their children when they’re
misbehaving. If they disobey an instruction, then the child's phone might be taken away or they
can get grounded.

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 Helmer’s
household?
The light was real, they actually had a lamp but it served as a symbol. It’s less
embarrassing to disobey and be secret in the dark, but when the light is there and people can
see you it is important to craft yourself into the perfect addition to society. In this household
particularly I think that’s what is going on. I think Nora wanted to bring the lamp to see if he
could confess his feelings or show his true self in the vulnerable state of being watched.
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 woman’s frustration in
oppression. Which of these explanations best fits Nora’s violent practice at the end of Act II?
Might both apply? Explain.
I think that fighting off a spider bite best represents Nora at the end of Act II. She’s been
injected with the poison of fear for herself and her family from krogstad. She’s dancing
vigorously to prevent Torvald from getting the letter. If he gets it, then their entire lives will be
turned upside down so she’s fighting for her “life” and normalcy. I don’t really think it’s frustration
from oppression? But maybe she's upset because she can’t take control over her situation.

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