Characters

Question 1

Who is Nora?

Answer 1

Nora is the protagonist of the play and the wife of Torvald Helmer

Question 2

What are Nora’s initial characteristics?

Answer 2

Nora initially seems like a playful, naïve child who lacks knowledge of the world outside her home.

Question 3

What do Nora’s small acts of rebellion indicate?

Answer 3

The small acts of rebellion in which Nora engages indicate that she is not as innocent or happy as she appears

Question 4

How does Nora come to see her position in her marriage?

Answer 4

Nora comes to see her position in her marriage with increasing clarity and finds the strength to free herself from her oppressive situation

Question 5

Who is Torvald Helmer?

Answer 5

Nora’s husband

Question 6

What does Torvald delight in?

Answer 6

Torvald delights in his new position at the bank, just as he delights in his position of authority as a husband

Question 7

How does Torvald treat Nora?

Answer 7

Torvald treats Nora like a child, in a manner that is both kind and patronizing

Question 8

How does Torvald view Nora?

Answer 8

Torvald does not view Nora as an equal but rather as a plaything or doll to be teased and admired

Question 9

What is Torvald generally more concerned with?

Answer 9

Torvald is overly concerned with his place and status in society, and he allows his emotions to be swayed heavily by the prospect of society’s respect and the fear of society’s scorn

Question 10

Who is Krogstad?

Answer 10

Krogstad is a lawyer who went to school with Torvald and holds a subordinate position at Torvald’s bank

Question 11

How is Krogstad’s character contradictory?

Answer 11

Though his bad deeds seem to stem from a desire to protect his children from scorn, he is perfectly willing to use unethical tactics to achieve his goals. His willingness to allow Nora to suffer is despicable, but his claims to feel sympathy for her and the hard circumstances of his own life compel us to sympathize with him to some degree

Question 12

Who is Kristine Linde?

Answer 12

Nora’s childhood friend

Question 13

What are Kristine’s characteristics?

Answer 13

Kristine Linde is a practical, down-to-earth woman

Question 14

What do Kristine’s sensible worldviews highlight about Nora?

Answer 14

Kristine’s sensible worldview highlights Nora’s somewhat childlike outlook on Life

Question 15

How do Kristine and Nora’s lives highlight one another?

Answer 15

Kristine’s account of her life of poverty underscores the privileged nature of the life that Nora leads

Question 16

How do Kristine and Nora differ in terms of responsibility?

Answer 16

Kristine took responsibility for her sick parent, whereas Nora abandoned her father when he was ill

Question 17

Who is Dr Rank?

Answer 17

Torvald’s best friend

Question 18

How does Dr Rank stand out as a character in the play?

Answer 18

Dr Rank stands out as the one character in the play who is unconcerned with what others think of him and for his stoic acceptance of his fate

Question 19

How does Dr Rank differ from Nora and Torvald?

Answer 19

Unlike Torvald and Nora, Dr Rank admits to the diseased nature (literally, in this case) of his life

Question 20

Who are Bob, Emmy and Ivar?

Answer 20

Nora and Torvald’s 3 small children

Question 21

What is Nora’s belief about parenting?

Answer 21

Nora believes that the quality of parenting strongly influences a child’s development

Question 22

What do Nora, Kristine and Anne-Marie (the nanny) have in common?

Answer 22

They all share the act of sacrificing their own happiness out of economic necessity