Nora hides her loan from Torvald because she knew Torvald could never accept the fact that his wife, moreover any women helped him save his life financially[footnoteRef:7].
Nora has kept the source of the money a secret because she doesn't want his “man's pride” to be hurt. Mrs. Linde is doubtful that Nora is right to keep her actions a secret, but Nora replies that Torvald “would be so ashamed and humiliated if he thought he owed me anything.”
Why hasn't Nora told Torvald that she borrowed the money? She says it is too small an amount to worry him about. She is on the verge of paying it back so it seems pointless.
He considers these things important to his reputation, and keeping up this reputation requires money. Although Torvald accuses Nora of wasting money, Nora spends her money mostly on worthy causes, whereas Torvald uses his for selfish, shallow purposes.
Nora discreetly explains that several years ago, when Torvald Helmer was very ill, she forged her dead fathers signature in order to illegally obtain a loan. Since then, she has been paying back the loan in secret. She has never told her husband because she knows it would upset him.
Before she is able to ask her favor, however, Dr. Rank confesses his love for her. This disclosure disturbs Nora, and afterward she refuses to request anything from him, even though he begs her to let him help.
Nora Helmer once secretly borrowed a large sum of money so that her husband could recuperate from a serious illness. She never told him of this loan and has been secretly paying it back in small installments by saving from her household allowance.
In the play, money symbolizes the power that the characters have over one another. In the first scene, Torvald's ability to dictate how much Nora spends on Christmas presents shows his power over her. Meanwhile, the debt that Nora owes Krogstad allows him to have power over her and Torvald.
By Henrik Ibsen
Torvald's absolute horror of debt is what forced Nora to deceive him in regards to the loan that saved his life. There's a good chance that Nora wants money for Christmas just to pay down her secret debt.
He panics upon learning of Nora's crime not because he cares about what will happen to her but because he worries that his reputation will be damaged if knowledge of Nora's crime becomes public.
Why does Nora claim Torvald's never "actually" loved her? Torvald never came to her rescue when she was threatened. What toy does Nora compare herself to?
The fact that Nora pays the porter twice what she owes him indicates her spendthrift and wasteful nature or habit. It is also evident that Nora spends very generously before her husband has received his promotion and extra salary!
Nora hides her macarons from Torvald because she knows that he disapproves of her eating them. She doesn't want to give him any reason to criticize her, so she keeps them hidden.
How does Nora prevent Torvald from looking in the letter box? * Torvald will not pay attention to the letter. Discuss the meaning of the following quote: "You should have let it alone; you must prevent nothing.
Unbeknown to Torvald, Nora borrowed money so that they could afford a year-long trip to Italy. Doctors said that Torvald would die without it—but that he shouldn't know how bad his condition was.
The macaroons come to represent Nora's disobedience and deceit.
Nora's husband, Torvald, has a great aversion to debt and borrowing; “There can be no freedom or beauty about a homelife that depends on borrowing and debt“(1.21). …
How is Torvald portrayed in his approach to issues of money? Torvald is portrayed as frugal. He is concerned that Nora is spending too much money onChristmas items. Even though Torvald will have a big salary after the New Year, he feels thatthey needed to economise so that they do not go into debt.
Torvald calls her pet names "little lark", "little squirrel", and "Little Miss Extravagant".
Nora is a victim of the male-dominated society of the nineteenth century. To save her husband, Torvald, she borrows money so that he might be able to recover from a life-threatening illness in a warmer climate.
The main themes of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House revolve around the values and the issues of late 19th-century bourgeoisie, namely what looks appropriate, the value of money, and the way women navigate a landscape that leaves them little room to assert themselves as actual human beings.
The main message of A Doll's House seems to be that a true (read: good) marriage is a joining of equals. The play centers on the dissolution of a marriage that doesn't meet these standards.
The play was so controversial that Ibsen was forced to write a second ending that he called “a barbaric outrage” to be used only when necessary. The controversy centered around Nora's decision to abandon her children, and in the second ending she decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom.
In his confession, Dr. Rank reveals his love for Nora to be more honest and real, as the emotion evolved while actually spending time with her.
Dr. Rank is unmarried and lonely, and over the course of the play it is revealed that he is in love with Nora. Cynical about life, he rejoices when he finds out that his illness is terminal, and insists that neither Torvald nor Nora visit him in his dying days.