Act II : Will Nora lose her doll house?

Act II was quite interesting. Secrets were revealed and the drama is just piling up. At this point in the play Nora has confessed her biggest secret to Mrs.Linde. We learned that Mrs.Linde now knows everything that is going on between Nora and Krogstad and the type of relationship they have. During this act there’s a scene where Mrs.Linde and Nora are have a conversation about how Krogstad placed a letter in their mailbox for Torvald explaining EVERYTHING to him to try and clear his disreputable name. While they’re talking Mrs.Linde said something very interesting. She said “There was a time when he would gladly have done anything for me.” Is this foreshadowing something? Well, we all know the answer to that question but I thought it was slick how she briefly mentioned it and then took matters into her own hands. Personally, I think that writing that letter was such an immoral thing to do on Krogstad part. He’s set on that mentality that if he’s going to lose his job because Nora won’t secure it, he’s going to bring her down with him. That’s so messed up. He knows exactly what Nora’s feeling because he’s been in that situation before yet he’s putting her through this excruciating reproach for his personal gain. In addition to all of this we find out that Dr.Rank, the very close family friend, has been secretly head over heals for Nora all of these years. SO, so far we have a dieing doctor in love with his “best friends” wife, a man trying to save his job and refinement by black mailing and later snitching on a woman he’s known for many years (ironic much?), a husband who is so wrapped up with preserving his reputation he doesn’t care if it costs him his happiness, and a woman with a HUGE secret that could cost her, her marriage, children and doll house.

Act I : This is some drama-packed stuff!

Incredulously, as opposed to many, some women choose to let themselves live down to society’s standards. During Act I, of the play A Doll’s House, we are introduced to a dependant, misunderstood and “frivolous” woman. Her name is Nora Helmer. Although she commonly answers to the names of squirrel, skylark, and even featherbrain to her husband, this woman doesn’t have one indiscreet bone in her body. Her husband is Torvald Helmer. Together they have three children and Torvald is a lawyer who is soon to be placed as the manager of a bank. The fact that Torvald is going to be the manager of a bank means he is going to be ranked higher, leading to a better income. This leaves Nora ecstatic because she is constantly squandering about buying macaroons and generally useless things. His position as manager at the bank will eventually result with more spending money in her pockets. Torvald is a man of dignity, pride and power over Nora. He believes that it is unacceptable to under any circumstances borrow money form anyone else and remain in debt with that person. As they say, for every action there is a reaction. Unfortunately, Nora never took this rule into account. During a desperate time of her husbands degenerating health state, Nora decides to take matters into her own hands. In order to save her husbands life, she needs to some how temporarily migrate her family to live in Italy due to their warmer weather. In order to that, one would think she’d need money, right? Exactly. Then one would realize that Nora doesn’t have a job so how is she expected to pay for this? Well, Nora does exactly what her husband doesn’t want her to do. She ends up borrowing money from Krogstad, another character who works at the bank with her husband, which disapproves of him due to his supposed “low morals” along with his criminal record. Nora is so desperate for this money, that she forges her dieing father’s signature to consent that if for any reason she cannot repay Krogstad, he (her father) would complete the payments. Her father dies after the date she signed to the agreement, leaving an undiscovered loophole in whole situation. After she completes the forgery without anyone but herself and Krogstad knowing and behind her husband’s back she ends up saving his life. This secret of hers is never to be revealed and known by very few. Shortly after the play commences, the tables turn and Krogstad is in desperate need of Nora’s help. Mrs.Linde, Nora’s friend, comes back seeking employment from Torvald and now Krogstad’s position at the bank is at risk. He quickly learns that he is being replaced by Mrs.Linde and begins to panic. Krogstad is trying to recover from his life of crime and misdoing. He is trying to earn his respect back and clear his family name up throughout town. Ironically enough, he confronts Nora about her forgery and threatens to reveal her secret to her husband if she does not persuade Torvald to secure his position at the bank. Once Krogstad leaves, Torvald arrives and Nora presents the idea of keeping Krogstad’s position secure at the bank to him. In response, Torvald vehemently tells Nora that all he wants is to get Krogstad out of the bank and away from them. In a helpless effort to remain inconspicuous, she agrees. By the end of Act I, Nora had created and buried herself in a scandalous situation that is becoming drama-packed by the sentence!