Question

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

Nora: Alas, Torvald, you are not the man to educate me into being a proper wife for you.

Helmer: And you can say that!

Nora: And I—how am I fitted to bring up the children?

Helmer: Nora!

Nora: Didn't you say so yourself a little while ago—that you dare not trust me to bring them up?

Helmer: In a moment of anger! Why do you pay any heed to that?

Nora: Indeed, you were perfectly right. I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake first. I must try and educate myself—you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now.

How does Nora’s character develop the theme that taking ownership of your own life is sometimes necessary?

Nora admits that she did not raise the children properly in the past, and she wants to educate herself on better ways to raise them.
Nora regrets her previous comment to Helmer about not trusting him, and she needs to leave to find someone she trusts to educate her.
Nora decides that her decisions to be a wife and raise children were wrong, so she is leaving in order to educate herself properly.
Nora wishes that she had not asked Helmer to educate her because she feels he has failed, so she wants to leave to find a new teacher.

Answer 1

The best choice is 3.

Why: Nora accepts that her previous roles (wife, mother) were based on ignorance and dependence, and she decides she must educate herself before she can properly fulfill them. She explicitly says Helmer cannot help her and that she "must do that for myself," then leaves — a clear act of taking ownership of her life.

Why the others are wrong:
- 1 is too narrow (it limits her motivation to improving childcare, whereas she’s seeking a broader self-education and independence).
- 2 is wrong (she doesn’t regret saying he can’t trust her; she accepts the criticism and isn’t leaving to find someone else to teach her).
- 4 is wrong (she intends to educate herself, not to look for a new teacher).