‘A Doll’s House’ Full         Study Guide

                                Theme

After eight years of marriage, Nora realizes that she has never been a partner in her marriage and Helmer treated her like ‘Doll’. Nora’s husband was so rude person. The feminist showing of a good middle-class wife and mother. At the end, she
leaves her husband in order to show an identity for herself that is separate from her identity as a wife and mother.

Main Characters

Torvald Helmer
Nora
Krogstad
Dr.Rank

1-Torvald Helmer

He is an argument person who is the husband She is Torvald’s wife who is treated like a child by her husband. She leaves her husband and children at the end. Nora borrowed money from that person. He is an admired of Nora. He has a disease of TB. At the end of play, announces his death.

2- Nora

She is Torvald’s wife who is treated like a child by her husband. She leaves her husband and children at the end.

3- Krogstad

Nora borrowed money from that person.

4-Dr. Rank

He is an admired of Nora. He has a disease of TB. At the end of play, announces his death.

Minor Characters

1- Christine Linde
2- The children
                      

                       1- Christine Linde

Nora’s friend who comes to Nora and insists her to ask her husband for a job.

                      2- The children

Nora treats her children like dolls and play with them.

Setting

Helmer’s Apartment. The play takes place at the apartment.

Study:

There some off-stage action takes place. A door leads from the stage into an imaginary room.

Ballroom:

The place where Nora danced the Tarantella.

                          Summary

While she eats macaroons, Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde enter. Rank starts speaking with Torwald while Linde speaks with Nora. Linde insists her to ask her husband to give Linde a job at the bank. Actually she needs a job because her husband has died. At that time, Nora tells her about borrowing money to pay for the trip to Italy for her and her husband. She also says to her , Torvald doesn’t know that she paid for it. Rank speaks with Nora and Linde, He complains about the moral corruption in society. Krogstad arrives and talk to Torvald about keeping his job. A few minutes later, he leaves and Rank comments that Krogstad is one of the most corrupt people in the world. Ranks leaves and Nora asks her husband not to fire Krogstad. But her husband says that he must fire him because of his dishonesty and because he gave Krogstad’s job to Linde. The Nurse, Anne-Marie, enters and gives Nora her ball gown. Anne-Marie explains that she had to leave her children to take the job taking care of Nora. Anne-Marie leaves. Linde returns and begins to help Nora with stitching up her dress. They talk for a while about Dr.Rank. Nora asks Torvald again not to fire Krogstad but Torvald refuses. He gives Krogstad’s pink slip to the maid to be mailed to Krogstad. Rank enters and tells Nora about his worsening illness. They talk and flirt for a while. Rank tells Nora that he loves her. Nora said that she never loved Rank and only had fun with him. Rank leaves and Krogstad enters. He is angry about his dismissal and leaves a letter to Tarvald explaining Nora’s entire crime in the letter box. Nora is frightened, Nora tells Linde about the matter and Linde assures her that she will talk to Krogstad and set things straight. Linde leaves after Krogstad and Rank and Torvald enter. They help Nora practice the Tarantella.
After practice, Rank and Tarvald exists. Linde enters and tells Nora that Krogstad left town, but she left a note for him.
Nora tells Linde that she’s waiting for a miracle to happen. That night, during the dance, Linde talks to Krogstad in Helmer’s apartment. She explains to him that she left him for money, but that she still loves him. They get back together and Krogstad decides to forget about the whole matter of Nora’s borrowing money. Linde requests Krogstad not to ask for his letter back since she thinks Torvald needs to know of it. Both leave and Torvald and Nora enter from the dance.
Torvald checks his letter box and finds some letters and two Business cards from Dr.Rank with black crosses on them. Nora explains that they mean that Rank is announcing his death. After the bad news, Tarvald enters and Nora prepares to leave. Before, she can get out the door; she is stopped by Torvald who read Krogstad’s letter. He is angry and disavows his love for Nora. The maid comes with a letter. Torvald read the letter which is from Krogstad. It says that he forgives Nora of her crime and will not reveal it. Torvald burns the letter along with the IOU that came with it. He is happy and tells Nora that everything will return to normal. Nora changes and returns to talk with Helmer. She tells him that they don’t understand each other and she leaves him.

Symbols

• ‘Black hat’ and ‘black cross’ Symbolizes ‘death’
• ‘Fisher girl costume’ Symbolizes ‘pretending to enjoy her life’
• ‘Italy’ Symbolizes ‘the good false image of Nora’s life’
• ‘Norway’ Symbolizes ‘reality’
• ‘Doll House’ Symbolizes ‘the tendency of the characters to play roles’
• ‘Toys’ Symbolizes ‘the act of pushing the roles into Nora’s children’
• ‘Macaroons’ Symbolizes ‘Nora’s deceit to her husband’
• ‘Tarantella’ Symbolizes ‘Nora’s agitation at her struggle with Krogstad and with her husband’
• ‘Christmas tree’ Symbolizes ‘the mood of the play’
• ‘Stockings’ Symbolizes Nora’s attitude trying to please men and her flirting with Rank’
• ‘Letter box’ and letter Symbolizes ‘a trap for Nora and the cause of her demise’
• ‘Embroidery’ Symbolizes ‘the stereotypes pressed on woman’
• ‘Ring’ Symbolizes ‘the marriage, and the end of it’
• ‘Skylark’ Symbolizes ‘the way that Tarvald treats Nora like a child’

By: Aqsa Riaz