"Cliff Notes - Doll's House, A" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

without opinion or will of her own--first a doll-child, then a doll-
wife. She also realizes that she is treating her children the same
way. Her whole life has been based on illusion rather than reality.

The believability of the play hinges on your accepting Nora's sudden
self-awareness. Some readers feel that she has been a child so long
she couldn't possibly grow up that quickly. Others feel that she is
already quite wise without realizing it, and that what happens is
credible. There are lines in the play that support both arguments.
It's up to you to read the play and then draw your own conclusions.

There is a parallel to the story of Nora in the life of one of
Ibsen's friends, a woman named Laura Kieler. She, too, secretly
borrowed money to finance a trip to a warm climate for a seriously
ill husband. When she had difficulty repaying the loan, she forged a
note but was discovered and placed in a mental institution.
Eventually, she was released and went back to her husband for her
children's sake. The story outraged Ibsen, and he fictionalized it
in A Doll's House, although rewriting the ending.


A DOLL'S HOUSE: TORVALD HELMER

Probably all of you know someone like Torvald. He's a straight-laced,
proper man, and proud of it. At first, he seems genuinely in love
with Nora, even if he does tend to nag and preach a bit. But as the
play progresses, you discover more disturbing parts of his character.

Like anyone who doubts his own power, Torvald must frequently prove
it. He keeps tight control over who comes to his study and whom he
speaks to at work, and over everything affecting Nora. He even has
the only key to their mailbox.

During the third act, you see his need for dominance increase. His
fantasies always have Nora in a submissive role. He is happiest when
treating her as a father would a child. This gives an incestuous
tinge to their relationship, which Nora comes to realize and abhor
at the end of the play.

On the other hand, Torvald is not a bad man. He is the product of
his society, one who seems to fit well in the middle-class mold.
It's only when he's tested that his well-ordered house of cards
comes crashing down.

Some readers question the believability of Nora's love for Torvald.
How could she have been blind to the obvious faults of this dull,
petty man for eight years? He must have qualities that make Nora's
love credible, but at the same time he must become odious enough at
the end for her to break all ties and leave immediately upon
discovering his true self. What kind of marriage relationship would