53 pages • 1 hour read
Henrik IbsenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
“There, there! My little singing bird mustn’t go drooping her wings, eh? Has it got the sulks, that little squirrel of mine?”
Torvald’s affectionate pet names for Nora hint at the play’s central dilemma from the start. Torvald’s love casts Nora not as an adult peer but as a pettish little animal. His affection can turn to sternness in a moment when his “little pet” doesn’t behave as he’d like her to.
“You could always give me money, Torvald. Only what you think you could spare. And then I could buy myself something with it later on.”
“Tell me, is it really true that you didn’t love your husband? What made you marry him, then?”
When the widowed Kristine appears looking worn and thin, Nora first regales her with tales of Torvald’s recent success, then abruptly starts asking her tactless questions like this one. Nora’s flighty behavior suggests that her life as a cosseted housewife has left her childish in more ways than one.
By Henrik Ibsen