Torvald is speaking in the quote above. He says this
moments after he has yelled at Nora and told her to go to her room. When he thought his
reputation was on the line, he was extremely upset with Nora. Moments later, he receives
the IOU note and burns it. He is so relieved. He now exclaims that he has forgiven Nora
for what she did. He has forgiven Nora for borrowing money behind his back in order to
save his life with a trip to a much warmer climate,
Italy.
When he thought his reputation had been ruined, he
yelled and scolded Nora as if she were his child. Now, he wants to pretend nothing has
happened. Torvald claims that Nora's "womanly helplessness" is what makes her so
attractive in his eyes.
Torvald is a male chauvinist. He
treats Nora as a helpless child. He does not even consider what she has sacrificed for
him. Nora has done without clothes trying to repay the loan that she borrowed for
Torvald's health issues. In return, he criticizes her as if she were a helpless child.
That is what makes her attractive in his eyes. He does not respect her intellect. He has
no idea what great business sense she has. He cares only about himself. That is why Nora
cannot love him any longer. That is why she must leave.
No comments:
Post a Comment