(From the end right before Nora shuts the door and Torvald hopes for a miracle)

ALIEN [walking in with Nora in its grasp]: I heard you hope for the greatest miracle of all.
TORVALD: Umm...Yes I did just wish for a miracle, but what - who - how...
ALIEN: I know you are very confused and taken aback by this, but I am from an advanced species      living far away with the stars in the sky and I have been watching you.  When I saw her capricious  motion to leave, and your tumultuous feelings along with your plea for a miracle, I made haste in  coming here.
NORA [annoyed]: Excuse me, I am still confused, but may I ask what of me?  I was just about to  leave.
ALIEN: Yes I realized that, and I'm sorry, but I must fix Torvald's problem.  He asked for a miracle to  keep you here so I will fulfill his desire.
NORA: But how will you do that, I have already made up my mind that I am going to leave him.
ALIEN: Did I not say I come from an advanced species?  I can do things that your  incompetent   minds cannot yet fathom or comprehend.
TORVALD: What will you do to my dear Nora to make her love me again and want to stay with me?
ALIEN: I will change the way she thinks and repair your relationship.
NORA [frantically]: Wait! What are you going to do to me?  You can't just change my mind so that I  love Torvald again, that would be immoral and wrong!
ALIEN: Ah, but you see, Torvald hoped for this and so I must carry out his wish despite what you  think.
NORA: Torvald!  Are you just going to stand there silently and not say or do anything?  Are you  really going to let him do this to me, change my mind and decisions?
TORVALD: Umm...Nora all I want is you back, I want you to love me again as you did when we first  were married.  If this "guardian alien" is going to bring you back to me then I'm afraid I will let him  do that.
NORA [sadly]: You offered to change when I was about to leave and I rejected because as I've just  seen, it is impossible for you to change.  You will be the same selfish man that you have always  been.
ALIEN: So Torvald, I am going to perform the miracle you hoped for.  I will change your wife's mind  so that she loves you again.
TORVALD [to Nora]: I'm sorry
ALIEN [places hand on Nora's head]: You will love Torvald again. [removes hand and steps back]
NORA: Torvald, how I missed you!

Now that we have completed reading act two, we have gained further insight on the characters, most notably Nora and Dr. Rank.  In this act Nora is preparing for her Tarantella and converses with Dr. Rank which reveals more of the connection between the two.  Dr. Rank shares that he is going to die and that he has loved Nora which surprised me.  When first introduced to his character I never suspected that he had feelings for Nora and thought he was only a good family friend.  Dr. Rank would just stop by for dinner and be another person to converse with.  I found the way he told Nora of his admiration a little weird, although Nora was at fault as well because she showed him her silk stockings which was a big "no no" in the time period this takes place.  Finding this out discourages her from following through and asking Dr. Rank for help in paying back the loan.  I believe this shouldn't have made here second guess her initial idea.  When pressed to tell him what her secret is, Nora says, "No Dr. Rank, I can't.  It's something really enormous - not just advise or help, but a really great favour" (Ibsen 194).  I don't know why she would decide to refrain from ask for his help after he just told her how he has loved her and would do anything for her.  Why do you think she would keep from sharing her secret with Dr. Rank?

Aside from Dr. Rank and Nora's interesting interaction, we see Krogstad follow through with his threat.  He tells Nora what is in the letter and then places it into the mailbox for Torvald.  He tells her that the letter will tell Torvald, "in the gentlest possible way" (Ibsen 199) everything that had occured.  I was hoping that he would have thought about spilling the truth and decided against doing so because he was in that situation at one point and probably would have appreciated mercy.  Krogstad also, maintaining his crooked character, told Nora before he put the letter in the mailbox what was in it allowing her to freak out over what will happen and experience the excruciating pain of waiting for Torvald's reaction.  Do you think this was intentional or did he truly have the honest desire to gain a standing in society and this was his only option?  I believe he wanted to repair his disreputable reputation, but also had Nora wait so she could continue to think about what she had done.

During the past week we finished reading Act I of Henrik Ibsen's, A Doll's House.  We were introduced to the characters of the play, the most notable being Nora, the wife of Torvald Helmer. From the start it is evident that the relationship of this couple is different than to that of a married couple today,  Torvald treats his wife Nora as though she is lower than him.  One of his first interactions with her is, "Nora! [He goes to her and takes her playfully by the ear.] The same little scatterbrain" (Ibsen 148).  This frivolous act would make Nora seem as though she is a small child and belittling her.  My reaction to this was that he doesn't respect her like she is equal to him but almost inferior.  This is similar to when I entered the high school last year and the upperclassmen wouldn't take me as seriously as they would their classmates because I was younger.  This must have been how all men treated their wives in the time this play was written since it was a male dominated society.  At what point did that philosophy change to where women were treated as more of an equal by their husband?

Despite being treated this way we learn a lot about Nora's character in the first act.  We first see that she loves to receive and squander money.  when talking with her friend about what she has, Nora responds with, "Oh, not just what we need! Heaps and heaps of money!" (Ibsen 155).  This shows how Nora is used to being spoiled and her strong desire for material items.  We also see that she is very clever and sneaky.  Nora is able to get away with many things behind her husbands back.  For example she brings macaroons home when Torvald had forbidden them.  This is only a small act compared to the predicament she had placed herself in.  Without Torvald knowing, she borrows a large amount of money to take him on vacation and relieve his stress..  Her excuse for this action to her friend is, "Is it rash to save your husband's life?" (Ibsen 160).  My thoughts were mixed about this idea.  Although Nora is saving Torvald's life she is creating a very big lie which can disrupt her marriage.  If she has any problems with amortization Torvald may find out about her actions and there will be a large disturbance in their seemingly happy marriage.  A question I pose is, was it right for Nora to go behind her husbands back to save his life?

Hello my name is Daven Howard and I am in Mrs. Santos' English II class.  We have looked at a variety of literature from around the world this year.  Many of the works have been interesting and I enjoyed reading them.  The Alchemist was my favorite novel this year because it showed an exciting journey of a young man and contained many fascinating and thought provoking quotes.  I am looking forward to reading our next work, A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen.

Henrik Ibsen is an internationally known poet and playwright.  He was born and grew up in Norway with his father, a merchant, and mother, a woman of the arts.  Due to problems in his father's business he was forced to leave his affluent lifestyle to live on a farm also causing him to leave school early to become an apprentice at age 15.  In his spare time he wrote his first play, Catilina, which was to be followed by others.  In 1862, he was exiled from Norway and moved to Italy where he completed one of his masterworks before moving again to Germany.  Here is where he composed A Doll's House, one of his most famous plays, and the one we are going to read.  In Germany he wrote several other controversial plays which brought him to the international stage.  When he returned to his home country in 1891, he was welcomed and treated as a literary hero.  He wrote a couple more plays in Norway before losing the ability to write and eventually passing away in 1906.

The title of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House can relate to the story in the sense that the main character may be a very lovable character.  It might be about a situation or problem that occurs within the home of this character.  Ibsen, when growing up, had a situation with his father's business where he was affected and lost the comfortable lifestyle he was used to.  A situation such as this may occur in the play where the character's lifestyle has to change.  Based on my research the themes present in the play include truth and lies and what is ethical as well as deception.  A Doll's House seems to be interesting and have an involved plot and I look forward to reading this play.


Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/henrik-ibsen-37014

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Henrik-Ibsen