Asked by Havon

Read the passage from A Doll’s House.

Helmer: [calls out from his room]. Is that my little lark twittering out there?

Nora: [busy opening some of the parcels]. Yes, it is!

Helmer: Is it my little squirrel bustling about?

Nora: Yes!

Helmer: When did my squirrel come home?

Nora: Just now. [Puts the bag of macaroons into her pocket and wipes her mouth.] Come in here, Torvald, and see what I have bought.

Helmer: Don't disturb me. [A little later, he opens the door and looks into the room, pen in hand.] Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?

Nora: Yes but, Torvald, this year we really can let ourselves go a little. This is the first Christmas that we have not needed to economize.

How do the stage directions in brackets affect the meaning of the text?

They tell the reader that Torvald opens his door only when he realizes that Nora has spent money.
They tell the reader that Torvald uses pet names for Nora and treats her like a child.
They show the reader that Torvald thinks that Nora bought too much.
They show the reader that Torvald prefers his pets over his wife.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
They show the reader that Torvald thinks that Nora bought too much.

The stage directions (Nora "busy opening some of the parcels", putting the macaroons in her pocket, and Helmer opening the door "a little later") give context for the dialogue and reinforce that Nora has been buying things secretly, prompting Helmer’s line about her "wasting money."