Vocabulary in A Doll's House

A small songbird known for its cheerful, soaring flight and song. Here Torvald uses it as a pet name to suggest Nora is sweet and carefree, like a little bird he keeps.

A small, lively rodent. Torvald uses it as a playful nickname for Nora, implying she is cute and frivolous rather than a capable adult.

Small, sweet almond or coconut cookies. Nora sneaks them because Torvald has forbidden her to eat sweets, making them a small symbol of her secret defiance.

A signed legal document in which one person formally promises in writing to repay a specific sum of money to another person by a set date.

The crime of faking someone else's signature or handwriting on a legal document in order to deceive others.

Willing to act dishonestly or unfairly to get what one wants, without any sense of moral limits.

Thrown into disgrace and poverty; cast out of respectable society and left with nothing. The gutter here means the lowest, most shameful position in life.

A written legal agreement, here specifically the loan document Nora signed, which legally obligates her to repay the borrowed money.

A fixed sum of money given regularly by a husband to his wife to cover household expenses, over which she has limited control.

A fast, whirling southern Italian folk dance, traditionally associated with frantic, uncontrolled movement. Nora rehearses it obsessively as her anxiety grows.

The broken remains of something destroyed. Here it refers to whatever is left of Nora's reputation and marriage after the truth comes out.

The outward impression given to others, as opposed to the truth. Here it means keeping up the look of a respectable, happy household even when the reality is ruined.

A woman employed in a household to look after young children on a daily basis.

Real, sincere love or warmth, as opposed to polite or dutiful feeling. Nora uses it to mean the only true emotional bond she believes she has.

To officially take back a threat, statement, or demand that one has already made, cancelling its effect.

Putting on pleasing acts or behaviors to entertain and satisfy someone else, the way an animal performs for its trainer, rather than acting from one's own free will.

A wife treated as a pretty, passive plaything rather than as a real person with her own mind and will, kept to look charming and obey.

A child treated as a cute object to be dressed and played with rather than as an individual with her own thoughts and feelings.

A room set aside for play and amusement. Nora uses it to mean her home was never a real adult household but a place of make-believe where she was kept like a toy.

To live and make decisions entirely independently, without relying on another person's guidance, approval, or support.