Doll’s House, Act III

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Doll’s House, Act III

Nora was aware that Krogstad had sent her husband a letter, revealing the details of a crime they both committed in the past. Therefore, she convinced her husband Torvald to read the letters once he got them from the mailbox so that they could deal with the truth. The husband read the letter and reacted in a selfish, mean way; he called her names, and blamed her for everything and even forbade her from bringing up their children because he did not trust her. He further said that he was going to give in to Krogstad’s demands at whatever cost so that Krogstad would not reveal their secret to the society and have people thinking that he was party to the crime. Later, another letter arrived from Krogstad stating that he had changed his mind, regrets what he had done and wanted to give her, her bond back. Torvald’s attitude towards Nora changed instantly; he forgave her, declared his love for her and told her to forget what he had said to her a while ago since he was overwhelmed with anger.

Nora was very disappointed with her husband’s reaction to both letters. With the first letter he treated her harshly, blamed her for her actions, was willing to pay Krogstad to hush the truth and even forbade her to bring up their children .Yet when the second letter arrived, his reaction was very different. His change was dramatic. He was excited that the truth would remain concealed, became sweet towards her and forgave her. Since Nora’s expectations were that, Torvald would sacrifice his honor for her by not giving in to Krogstad’s demands, she hoped that Torvald would come forward and declare he was guilty when the truth was revealed to all by Krogstand, as he had threatened to do if his demands were not met. Nora also expected Torvald to show concern for her, and what she was going through, but this was not the case. Her husband was only concerned with what would become of him, his reputation, what the people would say when the truth about his wife’s crime was revealed and as soon as the danger of being exposed was over, he acted as if nothing had happened.

Torvald had told Nora earlier that he wished there was a chance he would be able to sacrifice something for her sake. When Torvald failed to live to her expectations, Nora saw him as a stranger who she had been married to for eight years and borne him three children. He did not understand her, care enough for her to be concerned about her welfare, never took her seriously to discuss any important issue and thought she was just a fragile little doll with no sense. In addition, he never allowed her to have her own way; he always imposed his will on her. Nora realized that her husband only admired her because of what she looked like. He did not understand that she was of worth. He saw her as a doll, something that was only admired on the outside, but did not have any personality.

Ibsen portrays Torvald as selfish man who only cares about his own welfare through the way he handled the matter concerning the letters. He is not capable of loving anyone enough to sacrifice himself for love. He was also portrayed as a hypocrite who turned back on his word the moment he got a chance. He was also portrayed as a man who thinks his wife is a senseless human being whose role is to do what she is told, a fragile doll who is to be dressed in beautiful clothes, to look beautiful and to be admired. He is a chauvinist, who thinks that his wife’s duty is to her husband and children and has no right to be her own person. He believes that she should not be troubled with business matters, since it would only worry her. Her husband clearly illustrated this when the two of them were having a conversation with the doctor. He acted surprised when his wife contributed to the discussion. He also comes out as a shallow minded man who is so concerned with what people will say about him and about Nora walking out on their marriage, rather than focusing on saving their marriage. He only sees that Nora is to be blamed for their collapsing marriage but he does not take a minute to reflect on the part he has contributed .He perceives himself a perfect man.