Critical Analysis Of A Doll's House

The play A Doll’s House is a 19th century criticism of the marriage norms of the time. The play opens as Nora Helmer enters her home carrying a number of packages. Nora's husband, Torvald, playfully rebukes her for spending so much money but Nora justifies this with that fact that Torvald is due for a promotion at the bank where he works.

Soon after, Nora is paid a visit by Mrs. Kristine Linde, an old friend of hers. Nora explains that things have not been easy for herself and her husband: Torvald became sick and they had to travel to Italy so that he could recover. Owing to Nora’s naivety of the wider world, Kristine teasingly calls her a child. This offends Nora greatly and, in an attempt to impress the older woman, she is sparked to reveal that she borrowed money so they could travel to Italy without his knowledge and has, over the years, been secretly working and saving up to pay it off.

Krogstad, a lower-level employee at the bank with an awful reputation, comes to visit Torvald. After a meeting with him, Torvald returns

Desperate after being fired by Torvald, Krogstad returns to the house and confronts Nora, declaring that he no longer cares about the remaining balance of Nora's loan, but that he will instead preserve the associated bond in order to blackmail Torvald into letting him keep his job. Nora explains that she has done her best to persuade her husband, but he refuses to change his mind. Krogstad leaves a letter detailing her crime in their mailbox, to which only Torvald has a key.

Nora tells Kristine of her difficult situation and Kristine says that she and Krogstad are still in love and promises to try to convince him to relent. Nora stays behind and contemplates killing herself to save her husband from the shame of her crime and to pre-empt any gallant gesture on his part to save her