Asked by Havon

Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll’s House.

Helmer [reeling]: True? Is this true, that I read here? Horrible! No, no—it is impossible that it can be true.

Nora: It is true. I have loved you above everything else in the world.

Helmer: Oh, don't let us have any silly excuses.

Nora [taking a step towards him]: Torvald—!

Helmer: Miserable creature—what have you done?

Nora: Let me go. You shall not suffer for my sake. You shall not take it upon yourself.

Helmer: No tragic airs, please. [Locks the hall door.] Here you shall stay and give me an explanation. Do you understand what you have done? Answer me! Do you understand what you have done?

What evidence from the passage best supports the theme that one's true nature is revealed in times of distress?

“True? Is this true, that I read here?”
“No, no—it is impossible that it can be true.”
“Miserable creature—what have you done?”
“Here you shall stay and give me an explanation.”

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
“Miserable creature—what have you done?”

This line most clearly reveals Helmer’s true nature in a moment of distress: instead of compassion or understanding, he immediately dehumanizes and blames Nora, exposing his cruelty, selfishness, and need to dominate—traits hidden earlier in the play.