ADH Flashcards
Act 1- Money. Power. Sexism
“Nora! Just like a woman. Seriously though, Nora, you know what I think about these things. No debts! Never borrow! There’s always something inhibited, something unpleasant, about a home built on credit and borrowed money”
(Torvald to Nora)
- Torvald criticises Nora for spending too much. They clearly have different attitudes towards money. Nora believes that there is nothing wrong with borrowing money but Torvald thinks it is immoral and shameful.
- This quote also foreshadows the eventual dismantling of Torvald and Nora’s relationship
Act 1 - Love, Gender, Money, Work, Sexism, vs society
“I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to.”
(Nora Helmer to Torvald)
- This phrase appears to express Nora’s love for her husband and her acceptance of gender norms on one level, implying that she adores Torvald so much that she is prepared to give up her own autonomy in order to make him happy. In actuality, she is lying. She has already broken his commands: both in the little act of eating macaroons only moments earlier and in the larger one of borrowing money early in their marriage.
- Suggests that the role Nora is trying to play is unrealistic and impossible, and therefore hints at her eventual refusal to play it.
Act 1 - Power, Money and Work
“Oh, what a glorious feeling it is, knowing you’ve got a nice, safe job, and a good fat income.”
(Torvald to Helmer)
- Perhaps more than he worries about having money to spend, Torvald enjoys the power that comes with having a high-paying job. His words emphasize how important money and social standing are in the play’s society.
- Trying to secure his ‘safe’ job- threatened
Act 1 - Gender, Sexism, Money and Work
“Oh, sometimes I was so tired, so tired. But it was tremendous fun all the same, sitting there working and earning money like that. Almost like being a man.”
(Nora Helmer to Mrs. Linde)
- She has been secretly repaying the loan she took out to pay for the trip to Italy by saving money for others and even taking on copying work, which she had to do at night so Torvald wouldn’t see her doing it.
- This quote shows a mature side or Nora - acted and have been treated childish
- Despite the fact that she lies to her spouse, the fact that she has been willing to make such great sacrifices for him demonstrates her true love for him.
Act 2 - Love & Marriage, Gender, Deceit
“When a poor girl’s been in trouble she must make the best of things.”
(The nursemaid)
- Nora has asked the nursemaid how she could bear to give up her child, and the nursemaid responds by explaining that it was out of necessity, as the child’s father would not support her. This quote highlights how little freedom and power women had at the time; without a man to depend on, the nursemaid would have been unable to raise the child herself.
Act 2 - Love & Marriage, Gender
“You see Torvald is so terribly in love with me that he says he wants me all to himself. When we first married, it even used to make him sort of jealous if I only as much as mentioned any of my old friends back home. So of course I stopped doing it.”
(Nora Helmer to Torvald Helmer)
- Mrs. Linde has expressed confusion at the fact that Torvald did not know who she was, and Nora responds by explaining that Torvald would become jealous if she ever mentioned her old friends, leading Nora to cease mentioning them at all.
- Though Nora justifies this by claiming it is because Torvald loves her, the phrase “wants me all to himself” suggests that Torvald views her as a possession - again foreshadowing Nora’s later claim that he treats her like a doll. At this point Nora seems to genuinely believe that there is nothing wrong with Torvald’s possessive behavior, and she sees it as natural that she should stop mentioning her old friends around him. This quote reveals her strong desire to conform to gender roles and be a perfect wife, even if it comes at the expense of her own happiness.
Act 2 - Love & Marriage, Gender
“A man’s better at coping with these things than a woman…”
(Nora Helmer)
- Nora, desperate to find a solution to the fact that Krogstad is blackmailing her, considers asking Dr. Rank for help, on the basis that he has money and is a man. On one level, her reasoning for going to Dr. Rank is valid; he is in a considerably more powerful position than Nora, with financial means and legal rights that she does not have.
- On the other hand, this quote suggests that she has internalized the sexist idea that women are unsuited to handle serious matters. Despite the hard work and skillful negotiation she exhibited in borrowing and paying back the money in the first place, Nora is still convinced that she needs a man’s help in order to find a solution to her current predicament.
Act 2 - Gender
“You can’t frighten me! A precious little pampered thing like you…”
(Nils Krogstad to Nora Helmer)
- In response to Krogstad’s plan to reveal her deceit to Torvald, Nora vaguely threatens to kill him, but he does not take her seriously. Krogstad’s attitude here echoes the way that Torvald belittles Nora; by calling her a “little… thing,” Krogstad, too, treats Nora like a doll, implying she does not have any agency or power.
- At the same time, Krogstad’s use of the word “pampered” reflects Mrs. Linde and the nursemaid’s (more gentle) allusions to the fact that Nora has been spared the harsh realities of life on account of her husband’s wealth. In other words, the rest of the characters do not think Nora is capable of making choices for herself both because she is a woman and thus has not been allowed to, and because she is rich and has thus not been forced to.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Gender, Money and work, Individual vs Society
“What else is there to understand, apart from the old, old story? A heartless woman throws a man over the moment something more profitable offers itself.”
(Nils Krogstad to Kristine Linde)
- Krogstad’s harsh judgement of Mrs. Linde’s actions reflect the stereotype of women as frivolous and materialistic, in the same way as Nora is thought to be a “spendthrift” obsessed with luxurious possessions. Krogstad refers to “the old, old story” of women choosing to marry rich men, implying that this was a common understanding of women’s behavior at the time. This stands in stark contrast to the point made by Ibsen throughout the play that women are left vulnerable by their low economic and financial status, forcing them to make decisions they would not otherwise choose.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Deceit
“Helmer must know everything. This unhappy secret must come out. Those two must have the whole thing out between them. All this secrecy and deception, it just can’t go on.”
(Kristine Linde to Torvald Helmer)
- In a brief moment alone, Mrs. Linde reassures Nora that she has spoken to Krogstad and that he no longer plans to blackmail her, but insists that Nora must still tell Torvald the truth. This shift in stakes emphasizes the theme that deception is unsustainable and that it will inevitably lead to disaster. Also Mrs. Linde, having previously behaved as a rather passive source of support for Nora, now enacts a pivotal moment of agency, greatly affecting the fates of the other characters. This scene could also be interpreted as a moment in which Mrs. Linde forsakes her allegiance to Nora specifically and instead allies herself with the institution of marriage, and the principle of honesty between husband and wife.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Individual vs Society
“His suffering and his loneliness seemed almost to provide a background of dark cloud to the sunshine of our lives.”
Torvald Helmer to Dr. Rank
- This quote also makes clear how much Torvald’s idea of a happy and meaningful life is dependent on outside appearances. He appreciated Dr. Rank’s presence because of how much happier he made Tora and Norvald seem, not because of the the actual pleasure of his company. Again, this prefigures his insistence upon learning Nora’s secret that they stay married and keep up appearances for society’s sake, even though they will be miserable.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Deceit, Individual vs Society
“The thing must be hushed up at all costs. And as far as you and I are concerned, things must appear to go on exactly as before. But only in the eyes of the world, of course… From now on, their can be no question of happiness. All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances…”
Torvald Helmer
- Having discovered the letter from Krogstad exposing Nora’s secret debt, Torvald flies into a rage, insulting Nora and her father. Immediately afterward, however, Torvald insists that they stay married and that everything must appear to go on as before. The fact that Torvald clearly despises Nora, admits that they will never be happy, and yet maintains that they must “preserve appearances” shows the extent to which he values societal approval above everything else.
- In many ways, this is worse than any of the possible outcomes Ibsen has led the audience to anticipate. Torvald vows never to forgive Nora, insisting that their relationship is destroyed forever; at the same time, he traps her in their marriage, effectively forbidding her even from committing suicide or escaping to start a new life. This reaction demonstrates the absolute power Torvald wishes to have over Nora, and which he believes is his right as her husband.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Gender
“I wouldn’t be a proper man if I didn’t find a woman doubly attractive for being so obviously helpless.”
(Torvald Helmer)
- While Torvald still believes that Krogstad will blackmail him, he blames the entire situation on Nora, calling her a hypocrite, liar, criminal, and a “miserable… feather-brained woman.” However, as soon as he knows his reputation is safe, Torvald shows mercy toward Nora, calling her “helpless” and saying that she made an error without his guidance, but that she is not at fault. This stark contrast exposes the superficiality of Torvald’s love for Nora, and emphasizes the extent to which he loves her only as long as she is remains in a passive, child-like role. His statement about loving her for her helplessness shows how normal it was in Victorian society for men to treat their wives like children.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Gender
“For a man, there is something indescribably moving and very satisfying in knowing that he has forgiven his wife—forgiven her, completely and genuinely, from the depths of his heart. It’s as though it made her his property in a double sense: he has, as it were, given her a new life, and she becomes in a way both his wife and at the same time his child.”
(Torvald Helmer to Nora Helmer)
- While Torvald still believes that Krogstad will blackmail him, he blames the entire situation on Nora, calling her a hypocrite, liar, criminal, and a “miserable… feather-brained woman.” However, as soon as he knows his reputation is safe, Torvald shows mercy toward Nora, calling her “helpless” and saying that she made an error without his guidance, but that she is not at fault. This stark contrast exposes the superficiality of Torvald’s love for Nora, and emphasizes the extent to which he loves her only as long as she is remains in a passive, child-like role. His statement about loving her for her helplessness shows how normal it was in Victorian society for men to treat their wives like children.
Act 3 - Love & Marriage, Gender
“For a man, there is something indescribably moving and very satisfying in knowing that he has forgiven his wife—forgiven her, completely and genuinely, from the depths of his heart. It’s as though it made her his property in a double sense: he has, as it were, given her a new life, and she becomes in a way both his wife and at the same time his child.”
(Torvald Helmer to Nora Helmer)
- Nora has tried to leave the room, but Torvald stops her, continuing to speak joyously about how wonderful it is that he has forgiven her. The speech takes a perverse turn when he explains that Nora is now “his property in a double sense,” because by forgiving her he has given her a new life. Torvald’s use of this metaphor takes patriarchal logic to the extreme, suggesting that Torvald sees himself in a god-like role.
