CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ACT 2 OF HENRIK IBSEN’S PLAY “A DOLL’S HOUSE”
The Act begins to Nora fretting about in their living room. It is felt that she is worried, she fears
Krogstad revealing her bond and it’s conditions to her husband, Helmer. The children wishes to see
her but in her current state of mind she couldn’t act the part of a giving mother. She thought that
protecting her family from danger means not letting her family know the truth. Mrs. Linde arrives to
see Nora’s anxious face. She wheedles out of Nora the entire secret that’s been hidden. And she tells
Nora her honesty which was that the secret must come out. It was for the best of everyone. She also
tries to lighten the mood by commenting that Nora would look exquisite at the Tarantella the next
day and she cannot wait to see her in her fine feathers. Dr. Rank arrives when Mrs. Linde walks into
another room to help set up Nora’s dress. He reveals that his time on Earth is limited and when he is
certain of its imminence he would send her a letter with a black cross. Nora asks him to not be
ridiculous but Rank seemed too drunk in his own pessimism. He also confesses to Nora that he
would give his life for Nora and wants Nora to ask him as big a favor as she could. But Nora brushes
what she wanted to ask as a silly thing and asks Dr Rank to meet with Torvald. The only person she
seems to trust with the secret is Mrs. Linde. Krogstad had come to see her; he tells her that within a
year’s time he would be the one sitting in her husband’s position as Bank Manager. She said she
wasn’t scared anymore and tries to keep a strong front. Krogstad at last put the letter of doom on
the letter box for Torvald to find out and went out. Nora, panicking and scared tells Mrs. Linde that it
is a wonderful yet terrible that must never happen for the world. Torvald comes in and Nora starts
to dance to distract him from the letter in the letter box. He tells that she still had a lot of
improvements to make. And soon they all go for dinner. Nora believes that she only has 31 hours left
to live and twitters oh so like a doll and follows him.
The Act begins to Nora fretting about in their living room. It is felt that she is worried, she fears
Krogstad revealing her bond and it’s conditions to her husband, Helmer. The children wishes to see
her but in her current state of mind she couldn’t act the part of a giving mother. She thought that
protecting her family from danger means not letting her family know the truth. Mrs. Linde arrives to
see Nora’s anxious face. She wheedles out of Nora the entire secret that’s been hidden. And she tells
Nora her honesty which was that the secret must come out. It was for the best of everyone. She also
tries to lighten the mood by commenting that Nora would look exquisite at the Tarantella the next
day and she cannot wait to see her in her fine feathers. Dr. Rank arrives when Mrs. Linde walks into
another room to help set up Nora’s dress. He reveals that his time on Earth is limited and when he is
certain of its imminence he would send her a letter with a black cross. Nora asks him to not be
ridiculous but Rank seemed too drunk in his own pessimism. He also confesses to Nora that he
would give his life for Nora and wants Nora to ask him as big a favor as she could. But Nora brushes
what she wanted to ask as a silly thing and asks Dr Rank to meet with Torvald. The only person she
seems to trust with the secret is Mrs. Linde. Krogstad had come to see her; he tells her that within a
year’s time he would be the one sitting in her husband’s position as Bank Manager. She said she
wasn’t scared anymore and tries to keep a strong front. Krogstad at last put the letter of doom on
the letter box for Torvald to find out and went out. Nora, panicking and scared tells Mrs. Linde that it
is a wonderful yet terrible that must never happen for the world. Torvald comes in and Nora starts
to dance to distract him from the letter in the letter box. He tells that she still had a lot of
improvements to make. And soon they all go for dinner. Nora believes that she only has 31 hours left
to live and twitters oh so like a doll and follows him.
