What do you think of the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank? What about Mrs. Linde's view of the situation? (and remember she has not seen them together as the reader does in Act 2.) Does this relationship give us any more insight into Nora?
Mr. Barton
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I believe that the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is questionable. Nora obviously understands the relationship between Dr. Rank and Torvald, that is proven when Nora tells Mrs. Linde that she would never borrow money from Dr. Rank because it would put him in an awful situation. Mrs. Linde opinion of the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank's becomes apparent when she and NOra were talking about an "admirer" that Nora has; Mrs. L does not approve and thinks that it is inappropriate; she also does not agree that Nora tells Dr. Rank things that she does not tell her husband. The reader is shown that the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is quite flirtatious and she shows him the legs of her stockings, quite scandalous. This relationship shows how Nora is not quite lying to her husband, but flirting with his best friend is not exactly what the perfect wife would do.
--fruitlooop
Nora has a strange relationship with doctor Rank. He is both a good friend of Mr.Helmer and of Nora. She is aware that they have been close friends for a long time, but she is also very close with him. Mrs.Linde notices that they have a close relationship, and she assumes that the admirer Nora mentioned she borrowed money from was indeed Dr.Rank. Nora explains to Mrs.Linde that they are just good friends, and he is not the man she borrowed the money from. When doctor Rank arrives to the house, Nora speaks to him as she would any other day. Doctor Rank mentions that he is going to die soon from his spine problem, and Nora becomes very sad at this. After they talk, Nora tries on her stockings for doctor Rank. I think this is inappropriate if she is a married woman. When Nora proposes the idea that he could help her out with Krogstad, Dr.Rank misinterprets the favor and tells her his feelings for her. Nora realizes what has happened, and she tells him she only thinks of him as a friend, but she does not act this way around him. She is very open with him and confides in him when she cannot tell her husband about Krogstad. I think there relationship is too open, and she is sending the wrong message by being so close to him.
--lambchop
The relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is a bit more intimate than it should be. Like Mrs. Linde says on page 32, it is odd for a single man to be hanging around with a married woman while the husband is at work. We know that Nora has deceived Torvald quite a few times before, so there is reason to think she may be deceiving him with Dr. Rank. Christine, viewing the situation as an outsider, is also a bit suspicious. She is confused by the fact that Dr. Rank has heard about her so many times before, but Torvald has never heard her name be mentioned, revealing that Nora tells Dr. Rank things she does not tell her husband (Pg. 32). Christine soon interrogates Nora and accuses her of borrowing the money from Dr. Rank. Nora assures her that it was not him who lent her the money, then tells her to go to the back because Torvald does not like to see sewing in the house. When Torvald arrives, Nora tries to convince him not dismiss Krogstad from work. In her attempt to persuade him, Nora uses the cute pet names Torvald has given her, such as “squirrel,” “skylark,” and “little bird.” Nora is trying to use her adorable personality and charm to win Torvald over and make him give in to her wishes. In fear of being considered an uxorious husband and giving people the impression that he is easily influenced, Torvald goes against Nora’s wishes and sends Krogstad his letter of dismissal. Subsequently, Torvald tells Nora he forgives her anxiety and that she shall practice her tarantella while he works in the inner office (Pg. 36). He also says to tell Dr. Rank, when he arrives, to find him in the office (Pg.37). Dr. Rank arrives. When he arrives, Nora greets him by saying “Good day, Dr. Rank. I knew your ring. But you mustn't go in to Torvald now; I think he is busy with something (Pg.36).” This is yet another example of Nora lying; Torvald has just told her that he is expecting Dr. Rank. This may be a trick of Nora’s to get Dr. Rank to stay and chat with her. Dr. Rank sits with Nora and they instantly begin to converse. Dr. Rank complains about his syphilis and about having gotten it “from his father’s youthful amusements (Pg. 38).” He also confides in Nora by revealing his worry that he will die soon. Although the first part of the conversation is somber, it soon turns a bit playful. Dr. Rank begins the playfulness by saying he is jealous of Christine, whom he is certain is replacing him. Nora replies by saying that Christine is only sewing her dress, which she will wear to dance the tarantella. After that, Nora tells Dr. Rank that she wants to show him something (Pg.39). Dr. Rank sits down and Nora shows him her flesh colored silk stockings. At first, she only shows him the feet, but soon she also reveals the legs. Soon thereafter, Nora playfully “punishes” him by hitting him lightly with the stockings; another sign of flirtatiousness. It also seems as if Nora is executing a strategy to hook Dr. Rank on to her so it will be easier for her to ask for a favor. Dr. Rank is suddenly even more interested and asks, “And what other nice things am I to be allowed to see? (Pg. 39).” At this point, the conversation is very intimate, and clearly Dr. Rank has fallen into Nora’s trap. On page 40, Nora begins to hesitate with her words, but it seems as if she is attempting to ask Dr. Rank for a favor. Dr. Rank reveals that he is in love with her. As soon as Nora knows of this, she hesitates to ask him the favor. Even though Nora seems to use her good looks and cute personality to manipulate men, she is not completely demoralized and knows that asking a favor from Dr. Rank at this point would be taking advantage of him. Because of Nora’s teasing behavior and mixed messages around Dr. Rank, he thinks that she loves him, too. “It is just that that put me on the wrong track. You are a riddle to me. I have often thought that you would almost as soon be in my company as in Helmer's (Pg. 41).” Nora is not acting as a faithful spouse should, leading Dr. Rank on. This relationship is a relationship which no married woman should have with a single man. In this scene, Nora comes off as manipulative and as a person who will go to great extents to get what she wants.
The relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is very odd. Dr. Rank is always at the Helmer household, because he is a dear friend of the family but especially of Torvald. Their relationship is uncertain but isn’t really questioned until Mrs. Linde accuses Nora of having more than a friendly relationship with Dr. Rank, and that he was the one she borrowed the money from. Mrs. Linde also notices that Nora talks to Dr. Rank behind Torvald’s back. This in itself shows her immaturity, and shows how her relationship with Torvald is heavily based on money. Towards the end of Act II, Dr. Rank shows up at the Helmer’s, Nora and him start flirting, and then he works up the nerve to confesses his love to his best friend’s wife. Even though Nora only thinks of him as a good friend, she shouldn’t be flirting with any man other than her husband. Nora and Dr. Rank have a secret life behind Torvald’s back, and they must learn to put it behind them, or they could potentially lose the biggest financial and emotional supporter in both of their lives.
snowball:]
Nora and Dr. Rank have an awkward and questionable relationship because Nora is married and Dr. Rank is not. Just because Dr. Rank is a good friend of both Nora and Torvald does not make it ok for him to just stop by everyday. I agree with Mrs. L because she thinks that something fishy is going on between Nora and Dr. Rank and I do too. Especially because Dr. Rank says that Torvald is not the only one that would be willing to give his life for Nora. Nora was going to tell Dr. Rank about the shameful and, quite frankly, scary situation she is in involving Krogstad, but ended up not telling him because she thought he was being "horrid" by showing his feelings for her. Mrs. L is definitely right in thinking that Nora and Dr. Rank's relationship is both unprofessional and dishonoring Torvald. Nora is married to Torvald and he loves her. Dr. Rank does not fit into this situation as anything other than the family "companion." Any relations between Nora and Dr. Rank need to stop before things get out of hand and Nora creates more secrets and more lies that she must keep from Torvald. The relationship between Torvald and Nora is already suffering because Nora keeps so many secrets from Torvald, and adding to this uneasiness would just make matters worse.
--RocketPower
I think Nora and Dr. Rank's relationship is strange. At first it seemed like they were just friends, at least that is what Nora thought. Then, when Mrs. Linde questioned the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank, it started to make sense. They would do little things like flirting. When Nora lets Dr. Rank see her tights, they joke around, but it seemed like they went a little too far. It is also strange that Dr. Rank spends so much time with Nora, when Tovald is at work, or busy. I don't think Dr. Rank and Nora would ever do anything inappropriate. They just like to flirt and talk. They are both honorable people, and would not do anything to hurt Torvald or their own honor. Dr. Rank is like good friend to Nora, but Nora is more important to him than he is to her. Dr. Rank just wants Nora to be happy, and he will do anything for her. He even tells her, "You didn't think he is the only one-" "The only one who would gladly give his life for your sake." Nora needs to stop leading him on, because he really cares about her.
--englishQt :p
Dr. Rank and Nora's relationship with each other is a close friendship that is extremely flirty. A key component of Nora's personlity is her flirtatiousness and how she acts childish and teases Dr. Rank, as well as her husband rather alluringly. On page 34, she flirts and acts very niave towards Torvald in attempt to inlfuence him not to fire Krogstad, by saying things such as, " If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very prettily.." She doesn't want Torvald to fire Krogstad because then Krogstad would tell Torvald that it was Nora that had borrowed the money for his trip to Italy. So, Nora uses her greatest assets, or atleast what she thinks are her greatest assets, her youth and beauty, to get what she wants by flirting with Torvald and being cutsie and provacative. Mrs. Linde thinks that Dr. Rank might want something else besides friendship with Nora, but I do not think that is the case. I think that it is Nora's personality to flirt and tease men, and Dr. Rank is only flirting back because she initiated it, and he's only returning the favor. Mrs. Linde's assumption could be correct, and she hasn't seen any actual conversation between the two, but the fact that Nora talks to Dr. Rank about things she doesn't talk to about with Torvald makes Mrs. Linde conclude that Dr. Rank has alternative motives. This relationship definetly shows us that Nora is not only flirty with her husband, but she acts playful and child-like with Dr. Rank, making me think that she acts this way towards all men in her life. Their relationship definetly shows how Nora is naturally flirty, even when she has no intentions of influencing or getting something out of it.
----PICACHU-----
Dr. Rank and Nora have a relationship where they know that they are close friends but they flirt with each other more than they should. Nora knows that Dr. Rank is a good family friend and that it is wrong to have a relationship with him. When Nora starts to flirt with Dr. Rank, I think she is doing it subconsciously. Nora is naturally flirty because she likes to play up her beauty and youth, which is proven when she tells Mrs. Linde that her husband will lose interest in her when she is old and not as pretty. The fact that Mrs. Linde comes from knowing nothing about Nora and Dr. Rank together is strange that she concludes that they are too close than they should be. This shows that Nora and Dr. Rank spend too much time together becoming more intimate friends and Torvald is at work and knows nothing of this. This shows that Nora does not have much of a relationship with Torvald except for money. We learn more about Nora and how she is immature and childish but does not really know how to act like an adult.
--puppygal
I think that there is flirting or some sort of inappropriate behavior that has happened or will happen between these two. Rank and Nora seem to have a hidden romance. Mrs. Linde sees this going on and calls her out about it but Nora dismisses that thought quickly. Mrs. Linde's beliefs about the rich old gentleman could be correct because Dr. Rank said he would die soon. She also thinks that the relationship is wrong, which it definatly is. I think that the thing that is going on could ruin Torvold and Nora because they are both very close with him and he would tear them apart. I am pretty sure that Rank has feelings for her but I am not sure if she has them for him as well.
--mysterblogger
Nora and Dr. Rank's relationship is very awkward. Dr. Rank and Torvald are very close friends, so when Dr. Rank tells Nora that he loves her, she is put in an uncomfortable situation. She does not want to have Torvald and Dr. Rank's friendship broken up, especially in the last month or so of Rank's life. Dr. Rank confesses his love for her only because he will die shortly, so he feels she should know his feelings. She lead him on to believe that she loved him too, because she did show him her silk stockings above the feet. This gives him the impression that she feels the same about him. Mrs. Linde pretty much hit it dead on that Dr. Rank was Nora's secret admirer, even though Nora had no idea that he admired her. Mrs. Linde thinks that he lent her the money, which would be very inappropriate for a married woman. Mrs. Linde looks down upon Nora for this reason, because she feels that Nora is betraying Torvald by telling Rank things she doesn't tell Torvald. She feels that Nora is having an affair with him, something that Rank obviously would want. This relationship also shows that Nora is still very much a child because she is so careless about leading Dr. Rank on to believe that she likes him as much as he likes her. She shows him her stockings at an inappropriate length, she asks him for help, which he interprets as a sign of love, and she tells him things that she doesn't tell her own husband. Though Nora means no harm, like a child, she still is doing the wrong thing.
--CocaCola--
As a married woman, helen should know her boundaries when it comes to other men. He odd relationship with dr. rank shows the reader that helen maybe doesnt really understand right from wrong. By doing flirtatious things such showing dr. rank her stockings, helen is almost openly admitting that their relationship isnt the way it should be. Mrs. linde brings up the possibility of a weird relationship between the two but is quickly shot down. these assumptions are made long before the reader finds out of helen risky behavior. because mrs. linde can see an obvious attraction without being witness to the flirting, the reader understands that the possible had to be very evident in order for it to have been brought up
I think the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is too close to be fair to Torvald. When Dr. Rank says he has heard Mrs. Linde’s name often and Torvald has never heard of her, Nora admits to Mrs. Linde that she prefers to tell stories from his childhood to Dr. Rank because he is more interested. This provokes Mrs. Linde to jump to the conclusion that it was Dr. Rank who lent Nora the money for their trip to Italy. (32) Nora is appalled and responds that not only did Dr. Rank not have money to lend at that time but also that borrowing from one of Torvald’s dearest friends without his consent is something she would never dare to do. Mrs. Linde is still skeptical of the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank when she is ushered out of the room by Nora. Nora herself must know the illicitness of their relationship. She agrees that Dr. Rank is often around and has made himself a good friend to her rather than Torvald. When Dr. Rank pays a visit to Nora to tell her he is dying of Syphilis, Nora is deeply saddened. (38) Nora’s attitude soon changes to coquettish and she goes as far to show Dr. Rank the stocking she will wear to the ball, a scandalous display at the time. When begins to ask Dr. Rank for a favor (helping her out with Krogstad), Dr. Rank interprets this as a move to show her true feeling for him. He confesses his love for her but she is taken aback. (40) She assures him his love is very much unrequited and that she wants them to remain only friends. Though she feels strongly against them being any more than friends, she is sending him the wrong message by confiding in Dr. Rank what she was too scared to tell even Torvald.
-banana bread;)
I think the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank is too close to be fair to Torvald. When Dr. Rank has heard Mrs. Linde’s name often and Torvald has never heard of her, Nora admits to Mrs. Linde that she prefers to tell stories from her childhood to Dr. Rank because he is more interested. This provokes Mrs. Linde to jump to the conclusion that it was Dr. Rank who lent Nora the money for their trip to Italy. (32) Nora is appalled and responds that not only did Dr. Rank not have money to lend at that time but also that borrowing from one of Torvald’s dearest friends without his consent is something she would never dare to do. Mrs. Linde is still skeptical of the relationship between Nora and Dr. Rank when she is ushered out of the room by Nora. Nora herself must know the illicitness of their relationship. She agrees that Dr. Rank is often around and has made himself a good friend to her as well as Torvald. When Dr. Rank pays a visit to Nora to tell her he is dying of Syphilis, Nora is deeply saddened. (38) Nora’s attitude soon changes to coquettish and she goes as far to show Dr. Rank the stockings she will wear to the ball, a scandalous display at the time. When Nora begins to ask Dr. Rank for a favor but does not tell him yet she wants help with Krogstad, Dr. Rank interprets this as a move to show her true feeling for him. He confesses his love for her but she is taken aback. (40) She assures him his love is very much unrequited and that she wants them to remain only friends. Though she feels strongly against them being any more than friends, she is sending him the wrong message by confiding in Dr. Rank what she was too scared to tell even Torvald.
-banana bread
As a married woman, nora should know her boundaries when it comes to other men. He odd relationship with dr. rank shows the reader that nora maybe doesnt really understand right from wrong. By doing flirtatious things such showing dr. rank her stockings, nora is almost openly admitting that their relationship isnt the way it should be. Mrs. linde brings up the possibility of a weird relationship between the two but is quickly shot down. these assumptions are made long before the reader finds out of nora risky behavior. because mrs. linde can see an obvious attraction without being witness to the flirting, the reader understands that the possible had to be very evident in order for it to have been brought up
sorry i dont know why i put helen...
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