ADH - Nora, important quotes

Question 1

“It is so sweet of you to bother so much about me Nora…”

Answer 1

“Especially since you know so little of the worries and hardships of life.” - Mrs Linde.
P.38, Line 10 A1

Perpetuates the infantilisation of Nora, shows how she is constrained in the role of the middle-class house wife. Audiences understand that although Nora comes off as childish and having everything she wants in life, she is unfulfilled and lacks individuality.

Question 2

“My little songbird musn’t droop her wings. What’s this? Is little squirrel…”

Answer 2

“sulking? (Takes out his purse) Nora; guess what I’ve got here!” - Torvald
P.29, Line. 7 A1

Infantilising and patronising nicknames for Nora. Display of Torvald’s financial control over her.

Question 3

“The Squanderbird’s a pretty little creature, but she gets through an awful lot of money…”

Answer 3

“It’s incredible what an expensive pet she is for a man to keep.” - Torvald.
P.30, bottom line. A1

Torvald doesn’t see Nora as an individual, rather he sees her as a toy and object that he can take advantage of to further his own reputation and status.

Question 4

“Ah, but when a wife has a little business sense…”

Answer 4

“and knows how to be clever.” - Nora
Bottom of page 40. A1
Nora revels in her deciet of Torvald, she doesn’t understand the percieved immorality of her actions, she takes pride in her actions as they gave her financial autonomy - usually restricted by her transactional marriage.

Question 5

“He’s so proud of being a man - it’d be so…”

Answer 5

“painful and humiliating for him to know that he owed anything to me.” - Nora
Bottom of page 41 A1

Nora has a sophisticated understanding of gender roles that allows her to manipulate her own femininity and percieve how Torvald’s masculine identity is predicated on her fragility.

Question 6

“When Torvald no longer loves me as he does now;…”

Answer 6

“when it no longer amuses him to see me dance and dress up and play the fool for him.” - Nora
Top of Page 42. A1
Torvald’s objectification of Nora, hints to the audience that even Nora understands that Torvald only loves her for her beauty.

Question 7

She takes from her pocket a bag containing macaroons and eats a couple

Answer 7

Nora. P.1 A1
Small act of defiance that immediately shows her resistance to Torvald’s oppression.

Question 8

“How on earth could you imagine that…”

Answer 8

“I would have any influence over my husband?” - Nora
Top of Page 53 A1
Nora sees herself as having little to no influence (outside of sexuality). gender roles and societal expectations can limit equality within a marriage

Question 9

After a short silence, throws her head back and looks defiantly at him …

Answer 9

“No, it was not, it was I who wrote pappa’s name there.”
- Nora, halfway down p.56 A1
Shows how Nora is proud of what she has done, and doesn’t possess the knowledge to know how it is wrong / damaging / immoral. Her lack of understanding is imposed on her by societal expectations.

Question 10

“A songbird must have a clean beak to sing with…”

Answer 10

“Otherwise she’ll start twittering out of tune.”
- Torvald, A1 p.59 bottom of page.

Torvald’s aestheticism and dehumanisation of Nora, want of control and manipulation of Nora’s actions. Shows how repressed Nora is by her role as the lady of the house - “Angel in the house”.

Question 11

“Yes, Torvald…”

Answer 11

“I can’t get anywhere without your help.”
p.60 Act 1 Bottom of page.
Nora is more than the little songbird. She has much more autonomy than he thinks; she upholds a facade of submission, and plays into this image of subservience to keep Torvald complacent.

Question 12

“You see, Torvald’s so hopelessly in love with me…”

Answer 12

“that he wants me all to himself - those were his very words.” - Nora
P.66 Act 2, 2nd line from bottom.

Nora being controlled socially by Torvald, possessiveness and objectification of Nora. Her isolation and a lost identity as nothing more than Torvald’s wife.

Question 13

“If little squirrel asked you really prettily…”

Answer 13

“to grant her wish-“. - Nora
P.69 Act 2, Nora’s manipulation of Torvald and use of her sexuality to gain power. A complicity in her oppression but also the only way she can gain power.

Question 14

“I’d turn myself into a little fairy…”

Answer 14

“and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald”.
- Nora, page 69 Act 2
Self-degredation and dehumanisation, exaggerative femininity and beauty in order to gain power over Torvald.

Question 15

“I feel the same about Torvald…”

Answer 15

“as I did about Papa.”
- Nora, p.79 Act 2
- Transactional nature of Nora’s marriage, brought up in an oppressive father-daughter relationship and is now in an oppressive marriage. Complicity of men in wider society and its repression of women.

Question 16

“Correct me, lead me…”

Answer 16

“the way you always do.”
- Nora, p.87 bottom of, Act 2
Nora understands Torvald’s rigid aherence to his gender role, another instance of her using it to her advantage to keep Torvald complacent.

Question 17

“This unhappy secret…”

Answer 17

“Of Nora’s must be revealed.”
- Mrs Linde, P.95 Act 3
Nora will never be able to be an individual as long as she continues to live under the tyrannical rule of her marriage to Torvald. She must reject society’s expectations of her to be able to live her own life.

Question 18

“Well, take a good look at her…”

Answer 18

“She’s worth looking at, don’t you think.”
- Torvald Act 3, top of p.97
Torvald’s objectification of Nora, he bounds her value to her beauty ; resulting in her dehumanisation and the stripping of her identity.

Question 19

“the beautiful apparition…”

Answer 19

“disappeared! An exit should always be dramatic.”
- Torvald, Act 3, Page 97.
Complete objectification of Nora, reduces her to almost a ghost or goddess-like figure that he owns and posseses. Shows Torvald’s controlling nature and how Nora’s value is reduced to her beauty and complacency. Lack of individuality.

Question 20

Looks unflinchingly at him and, her expression growing colder, says…

Answer 20

“Yes. Now I am beginning to understand.”
- Nora, Page 106, Act 3.
Key moment of change, is now dissilusioned with the image that she had of Torvald, resulting in her own identity being shattered. Rejection of societal expectations begin.

Question 21

“We’ve been married for eight years. Does it occur to you that this is the first time we two…”

Answer 21

“you and I, man and wife, have ever had a serious talk together?”
- Nora, Act 3 page 110
The unequal, childish nature of their marriage has limited the possibility of them ever becomign individuals outside of their societal identities. Shows how Nora has gained more power than Torvald ever has through her understanding of societal roles and expectations.

Question 22

“You have never loved me…”

Answer 22

“You just thought it was fun to be in love with me.”
- Nora, Act 3, P.111
Nora’s illusions of Torvald shatter, she knows that Torvald only ever saw her as a possession and not an individual. Critiques the transactional nature of marriage and how some see it as a social gain as opposed to an equal partnership.

Question 23

“It’s as if I’ve been livivng here like a pauper, from hand to mouth…”

Answer 23

“I perform tricks for you, and you gave me food and drink. But that was how you wanted it. You and papa have done me a great wrong. It’s your fault that I have done nothing with my life.”
- Nora Act 3, P.111
Nora has predicated her whole identity on societal expectations and norms, she now understands that this has oppressed her her whole life and that there have been double standards for men. As a result, she critcises Torvald’s control of her, blaming him for her oppression. Shows her societal awareness and her rebellion.

Question 24

“I’ve been your doll-wife…”

Answer 24

“just as I used to be Papa’s doll-child”.
- Nora, Act 3 p.111
She has never been respected as an individual, always been expected to fulfil her role in life as a daughter, wife and mother - never as a person. Her lack of autonomy has made her an object of the men around her, stripping her identity and humanity from her.

Question 25

“I believe that I am…”

Answer 25

“first and foremost a human being.”
- Nora, Act 3, Page 113
Nora finally sees herself as a human being, equal to her husband, existing in her own right rather than existing only for the benefit of others. Nora must discover her own truth and develop her own beliefs for herself. This realization pushes her to make something more of her life, whether society accepts it or not.

Question 26

“In that moment I realised that for eight years I had been living here with a complete stranger…”

Answer 26

“and that I had borne him three children-! Oh, I can’t bear to think of it! I could tear myself to pieces.”
- Nora, P.116 Act 3
Nora’s illusions of Torvald’s shattered, lack of identity for both of them. Doomed nature of an unequal marriage, the tragedy of an unequal marriage and unfair societal expectations.