Dolls House Quotes

• “Nora! Just like a woman. Seriously though, Nora, you know what I think about these things. No debts! Never borrow!” Torvald Act 1
• “No, it’s impossible! I did it for love’s sake.” Nora Act 1
• “he can never drop the mask, not even with his own wife and children…A fog of lies like that in a household, and it spreads disease and infection to every part of it.” Torvald Act 1
• “Tell me what to do, keep me right—as you always do.” Nora Act 2
• “But my dear darling Nora, you are dancing as though your life depended on it.” Torvald Act 2
• “I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was Daddy’s doll child. And the children in turn have been my dolls…That’s been our marriage, Torvald.” Nora Act 5
• “I believe that first and foremost I am an individual…I have to think things for myself, and get things clear.” Nora Act 5
• “I do not exactly know what religion is.” Nora Act 5
• “When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too.” Nora Act 5
• “I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to.” Nora Act 1 The macaroons come to represent Nora’s disobedience and deceit. The exaggerated nature of the phrase – that she would "never dream" of disobeying him – adds further tension to the lie and suggests that the role Nora is trying to play is unrealistic and impossible, and therefore hints at her eventual refusal to play it.
• “he can never drop the mask, not even with his own wife and children… A fog of lies like that in a household, and it spreads disease and infection to every part of it.” Torvald Act 1 Torvald describes the consequences of Krogstad's deception, insisting that it will have devastating consequences on his household. Torvald's melodramatic language highlights the fierce contempt he feels for Krogstad, and emphasizes that Torvald sees dishonesty as a kind of poison that corrupts the purity of domestic life.
• “Helmer must know everything…all this secrecy and deception, it just can’t go on.” Christine Act 2 This shift in stakes emphasizes the theme that deception is unsustainable and that it will inevitably lead to disaster.
• “things must appear to go on exactly as before. But only in the eyes of the world…preserve appearances.” Torvald Act 3 They must "preserve appearances" shows the extent to which he values societal approval above everything else.