An Indepth Review And Commentary On Henrik Ibsen's Play "A Doll House"
...a wife who borrowed money to take her critically ill husband on a recuperating trip. When the loan was due, she forged a check, and was caught. Her husband demanded a divorce; she has a mental breakdown and committed to an institution. The play, as written by Ibsen, in 1979 told a similar story, but with original ending.
Ibsen tells the story of a young wife and mother (Nora) who desperately tried to prevent husband Torvald from discovering her scandalous secret. Due to the “extra work that kept him going morning and night,” (Ibsen 996-1049). Torvald fell gravely ill and was urged by the doctors to travel south, for his health. Frantic with worry, Nora had no other option than to borrow the large sum of money (an act that a wife was not allowed to do without her husband’s consent) from Banker Krogstad, a man with an irrefutable “shady” past of his own.
Krogstad only agreed to loaning Nora the money if she promised to have her father sign the note, at the bottom, guaranteeing the loan. Some days later, she presented the signed document to Krogstad and the money was hers. Through scrimping, saving and telling Torvald little “white lies” so he’d give her a bit more money, here and there, Nora never missed a payment and was very close to having it paid in full.
New developments took over, before Christmas one year, when Torvald would become manager of the bank, “right after New Year and start getting a huge salary and lots of commissions.” (Ibsen).
Torvald given full permission [from the retiring bank manager] to make any compulsory changes in policy or staff, determined as his first official duty to fire Krogstad. Seeing this coming, Krogstad went to visit Nora, first to plead his case and beg Nora to use her influence on his behalf, making sure he kept his subordinate position in the bank. When Nora balked, saying she couldn’t influence Torvald about...
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