A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

Towards the end of Act I, Krogstad enters. Krogstad is the man whom Nora borrowed the 4,000 crowns to finance the trip to southern Italy. Nora continues to act as a child. "Shall we play? What shall we play? Hide and seek?..." (Ibsen 1577). Krogstad asks a favor of Nora. "Would you please make sure that I keep my subordinate position in the bank?" (Ibsen 1518) By doing this Krogstad tries to utilize the famine influence that women who are married to men of power often have, yet another role society demands of women.

Krogstad’s behavior and motives are based on the fact that he does not want to lose his job at the bank where Nora’s husband Torvald manages. In a desperate attempt to keep his job and spare his children from hardship, he uses Nora to influence her husband. Her attempts to save Krogstad’s job fail because Torvald is convinced that Krogstad is a liar and a cheat and he will not jeopardize his moral character or be swayed by his wife. He states, “Do you think I’m going to make myself look ridiculous in front of my whole staff, and let people think I can be pushed around by all sorts of outside influence?” (1624)

Ibsen 's play A Doll 's House centers on a stereotypical and comfortable family in the nineteenth century which, outwardly, has the appearance of respectability to which any audience can relate. There are many indicators that reveal that this family upholds a false image, such as the symbolic title “A Doll 's House". Nora is introduced as a "little Spendthrift" (p 6), which foreshadows future tension in her relationship. Torvald believes she is spending money frivolously, but she has actually secretly borrowed money to save his life, and is using the money he gives her to pay back her debt.

Henrik Ibsen creates a fascinating tale filled with intrigue and set of characters that make for a great story. The Helmers and Christine and Krogstad have very different perceptions of what love is. The key to any healthy relationship is to be able to work out your problems and not let anything get in the way of the love felt for the other person in the relationship. Nora and Torvald in the end weren’t meant for each other and Christine and Krogstad, after working out their differences were able to continue on happily. Nora/Torvald and Christine/Krogstad truly are two fundamentally different sets of

The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of social conventions. Ibsen in his "A Doll 's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation from Torvald. Torvald has a very typical relationship with society. He is a smug bank manager. With his job arrive many responsibilities. He often treats his wife as if she is one of these

Krogstad is known as the antagonist in the book, but some of his actions are justifiable. He caused the Helmers quite a bit of trouble, but Nora had somewhat done the same to him. He visited Nora to check up on her and make sure she was paying what was due. He also threatened her in the beginning and told her that “it would depend on herself what type of Christmas she would spend.”(pg.19) this hinted that he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. There was, however, reasoning for Krogstad’s motives. He wanted to keep his job at the bank in order to support his family, and fix his terrible reputation. He said that for his sons’ sake he “must try and win back as much respect as he can in this town.”(Pg.21) The only way he

Krogstad victimizes Nora in a very different way than her husband and father. Krogstad does not use his position of dominance as a man to control her. Instead he uses blackmail to manipulate Nora to his will. As we examine her situation Nora seems more a victim of circumstance here than of the not so evil will of her blackmailer.

Now that Krogstad is fired from the bank, He is blackmailing Nora for her getting a loan through signing her dying father’s signature. When Torvald finds out about Nora’s crime, She expect sympathy from Torvald about her dilemma because he said to her that he fantasizes about risking his life to save Nora’s. “Do you know, Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life’s blood, and everything, for your sake” (Ibsen, 833). Once given the opportunity, however; Torvald shows no intention of sacrificing his life or anything for Nora, thinking only about his appearances. His selfishness becomes

A lot of Krogstad's life has been influenced by society's ethical principles. He put some essentialness in disfavor ensuing to submitting "absence of respect," and falls back on oblige, endeavoring to keep his occupation as a character of respectability. His risk of extortion gets its imperativeness from the gigantic expert that people vested in individuals when all is said in done handle's ethical benchmarks: if no one disliked much what society thought, then Krogstad could tell all and nobody would be

However, Nora does eventually realize that she has been treated like a child all her life and has been denied the right to think and act the way she wishes. When Torvald does not immediately offer to help Nora after Krogstad threatens to expose her, Nora realizes that there is a problem. By waiting until after he discovers that his social status will suffer no harm, Torvald reveals his true

Ibsen details the parallels between Nora and Krogstad as they both committed their crimes for love. Thus, in the first conversation between Nora and Krogstad, Ibsen establishes Krogstad as the cunning antagonist and the extremity of Nora’s crime to build up the climax of the play whilst continuing to portray Nora as childish.

Her father was much like Torvald and she has lived her entire life under the “rule” of someone oppressive and controlling that manipulates her life in way similar to living in the false reality of a doll's house. This is why I believe Ibsen titled the book, The Doll’s House, since it reflects how Nora’s life is as unreal as the life of a doll in a doll house. Her mother on the other hand was absent in her life and that led to other problems in Nora’s life growing up, such as not having a positive role model. Earlier in the story Nora has a conversation with Torvald talking about why he doesn't like Krogstad, and as Torvald is talking about how he got a lot of the negative traits he has today from his mother and father, he says, “Such an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the whole life of a home. Each breath the children take in such a house is full of the germs of evil.” Nora nervously responds, “Are you sure of that?” then Torvald says, “My dear, I have often seen it in the course of my life as a lawyer. Almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a deceitful mother” (pg. 27.) This conversation reveals a lot about both characters; first we learn that Torvald is

Krogstad feels threatened by her influence because she can be the pivotal deciding factor in whether or not he keeps his job. Nevertheless, Krogstad tries to turn her influence to benefit himself by threatening to reveal her crime if she does not help him to keep his job. This backfires on Krogstad when two women, Nora and Mrs. Linde, manipulate Krogstad into feeling obstinate and therefore he promises never to tell anyone of what Nora has done. Nora's power helped her to remain protected throughout the entire play.

After having used Krogstad to get what she needed, yet another issue arose. Krogstad turned on Nora once his position at the bank was on the line, and used her borrowing against her for his own good. “Niles Krogstad is also Mrs. Linde’s former crush, and he tries to redeem himself of his crimes of forgery by raising his children” (Rosefeldt).

Krogstad makes himself as a good man for the audience in the beginning of the play. He is shown as a poor and miserable man, who needs a job at the bank not only because he needs money, it’s also because he needs to start a new life and to have the people respect. Moreover, at the ends of the play, Krogstad becomes a protagonist character. When Kristine tells Krogstad that she has always loved him and asks him to restart a new relationship, he exposes himself as a more loving, character. In effect, Krogstad and Kristin relationship is an honest and respect, and that is missing in Helmer’s. As a reason of Krogstad happiness in his life recently, he takes back his threaten to Nora and sends another letter. The letter tells that he is sorry and that both of Nora and her husband were saved. “Helmer. You too, of course. We are both saved, you and I. looks he’s returned your note. He says he’s sorry and he apologizes-that a happy change in his life-what difference does it make what he says! We’re saved, Nora! ...” (1122; act 3) Krogstad ends his part in the play by becoming an example of a brave man and changes his character to the respectable one through the audience