Nora+and+Kristine

**Dialogue between Nora and Kristina**
(from p 158 "you're like all the others..." to p 161 "our lovely happy home would never be the same again.")

In this scene, Nora tells Kristina the truth about how she got the money to take Torvald to Italy: she didn't get it from her father, but instead took care of it entirely by herself (presumably by borrowing it).
 * Summary:**

Purpose/effects

 * Revealing Things About Nora and Kristina**
 * Conversation reveals the deep trust that exists between Nora and Kristina, because despite not having seen her friend in years, Nora almost immediately tells her the greatest secret in her life.
 * Reveals a different side to Nora - In a way, itseems that Nora is trying to compete with Kristina, and is trying to prove that she is also strong and independent. She tries to break free from what others think of her, as they think that she can't do anything worthwhile. However, it is clear that Nora's conception of independence is still influenced by the social expectations of her time, because she wouldn't dream of telling her husband that it was due to her that his life was saved. In addition, Nora first tried all of the traditional methods of pleading with her husband and acting cute and foolish to convince him to go to Italy ("I tried tears and entreaties - I told him that he really ought to think about my condition" (160). It was only as a last resort that she thought of taking any independent action to save him.
 * This conversation also shows how Nora tries to be confident and independent, but is still somewhat afraid of Torvald's authority over her: "Not so loud -- suppose Torvald were to hear!" (p 159).
 * Nora thinks that if Torvald found out about what she did, he would feel indebted to her and his honour would be ruined, and although this turns out not to be entirely true, Nora's foresight foreshadows the end of the play when she says that if Torvald found out, their "lovely happy home would never be the same again." (161). Nora is afraid to hurt Torvald's pride, because he is much more willing to have taken money from Nora's father for their trip rather than to be indebted to a woman (Nora).
 * The audience also sees how Nora is very proud of herself for taking the initiative, and values that work that she has done to save Torvald: "A lottery! [//With a snort//] Pooh -- where would be the glory in //that//?" (p 159). She believes that she 'saved Torvald's life', and that her act of independently gathering money for the trip is a heroic deed. Perhaps she feels proud and even powerful, because she as a woman of the household was able to save a man's life.
 * Nora suggests that there are other ways that she could have gotten the money other than borrowing it. She says she 'might have got it from some admirer or other - after all, I'm quite attractive' (160), portraying her not as a traditional, conservative wife, but as a flirty woman who enjoys other people's attraction towards her.


 * Contributes to Plot**
 * This conversation between Nora and Kristina is one of the most important in the play, because it reveals what will be the source of the play's conflict.
 * Contributes to the idea of a "well-made play" (the secret and misunderstanding between the characters which later lead to the conflict of the play).
 * It is important that Nora tells this information to Kristina, because it gives Nora a sort of ally for the drama to come, and an outlet for her future thoughts on what goes on.
 * Provides an explanation of the secret, as well as the reasons behind Nora's actions, so as to let the audience see Nora's reasoning and perhaps feel sympathetic towards her later on


 * Props**
 * The major prop that appears in this scene is the sofa in the Helmers' living room. When Nora tells Kristina her secret, she "//pulls her down on the sofa beside her//." (p 159)
 * This act implies togetherness as Nora feels comfortable sitting right next to Kristina on a sofa, which is meant to put people together.
 * Also, it is ironic that throughout the play, Nora does not sit on the sofa with Torvald, her husband. Therefore, this scene show visually how Nora and Kristina are best of friends and trust each other deeply.
 * As Kristina guesses how Nora got the money for the trip to Italy, Nora is "lying back on the sofa" (160), showing how comfortable she is with Kristina.


 * Motifs/Themes**
 * Deception - Nora deceives Torvald by telling him that she got the money for their trip to Italy from her father, but in truth she got it by other means
 * Women's rights
 * 'Because a wife can't borrow without her husband's consent' (160) - this sheds light on the situation of women in the household, they are not allowed to borrow money without their husband's consent
 * Morality - Nora went against the law by borrowing without her husband's consent, and also deceives by lying about the money's origins. She does this to 'save his life' (160), yet she is using illegal means for such a good and commendable purpose
 * Stage directions/Speech patterns**
 * [Dropping her voice] (158) - Nora lowers her voice as she prepares to tell Kristina 'the really important thing', implying that it is highly important and top secret, also serves as a dramatic effect
 * [Pulling her down on the sofa before her] (159) - Nora is quite forceful in getting Kristina to hear her secret, and is also very willing to share it with her
 * [contemptuously], [With a snort] (159) - When Kristina takes a guess that Nora won the money from a lottery, she remarks disdainfully 'pooh - where would be the glory in //that//'. This shows how Nora actually finds her method of gaining the money glorious and is quite proud of herself.
 * [smiling] (159), [with an enigmatic smile], [Humming] (160) - through her smiling and humming, it can be seen that Nora tries to be mysterious and is amused at Kristina's attempts to guess how she got the money for traveling to Italy
 * [with a toss of her head] (160) - Nora tosses her head as she praises herself as 'a wife with a little flair for business - a wife who knows how to set about it...' (160), depicting her as quite prideful
 * [sitting up] (160) - As Nora questions 'Is it rash to save your husband's life?', she sits up, showing through her body language that she is more alert and maybe even puzzled that her act could be considered 'rash'

The speech pattern of the conversation between Nora and Kristina shows that Kristina is the one who asks constantly asks Nora questions to find out more about her secret, while Nora is the one who replies and shares information with Kristina bit by bit. Kristina's constant questioning reveals her to be inquisitive and eager to understand more about Nora's situation. Nora willingly divulges the information, even though she does try to be coy by not directly telling Kristina the truth, but getting her to guess instead.