Which themes are reflected in this excerpt from act 1 of henrik ibsen’s a doll’s house?

nora (meditatively, and with a half smile): yes—someday, perhaps, after many years, when i am no longer as nice-looking as i am now. don't laugh at me! i mean, of course, when torvald is no longer as devoted to me as he is now; when my dancing and dressing-up and reciting have palled on him; then it may be a good thing to have something in reserve—(breaking off) what nonsense! that time will never come. now, what do you think of my great secret, christine? do you still think i am of no use? i can tell you, too, that this affair has caused me a lot of worry. it has been by no means easy for me to meet my engagements punctually. i may tell you that there is something that is called, in business, quarterly interest, and another thing called payment in installments, and it is always so dreadfully difficult to manage them. i have had to save a little here and there, where i could, you understand. i have not been able to put aside much from my housekeeping money, for torvald must have a good table. i couldn't let my children be shabbily dressed; i have felt obliged to use up all he gave me for them, the sweet little darlings!

a. importance of money
b. appearance versus reality
c. control and obedience
d. deceit
e. aesthetic beauty

A. importance of money B. appearance versus reality  D. deceit and  E. aesthetic beauty

All of these themes are present in the story. In the excerpt, Nora is talking about the secret loan she took without telling Torvald, she has deceived him, and still does not plan to tell him.

Even though Nora isn't at a good position, economically speaking, and has a hard time trying to manage the bills, she continues to spend on things for her family so that it could look like she is doing just fine with money (B. appearance versus reality), for example, she spends money on her children so they don't look shabbily dressed (which also shows how important for her is E. aesthetic beauty), and she doesn't put aside much from her housekeeping money so Torvald has a good table and doesn't get to notice what's going on (D. deceit). Simultaneously, this also shows the A. importance of money, especially to keep up with appearance.

The E. aesthetic beauty theme is also shown when Nora remarks that that she might consider telling Torvald about the secret when she gets older and loses her attractiveness and Torvald loses his interest in her. This proves that their marriage, or at least his affection, is based on appearance and aesthetic beauty.

what: when quoting a source, use the author’s words verbatim, or word-for-word. this means you shouldn’t change any grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. put quotations around the words to tell your reader where the quote begins and where it ends.

you also need to acknowledge the author. for example, if using mla format for your research paper, you should have in-text citations with the author’s name and page number listed at the end of each quote.

when: use quotations to provide concrete examples to support your claims. using direct quotations is a great way to build your credibility on the subject. it’s also a good idea to quote your source when the author states things in a powerful way. if you think he or she said it best, then use the exact words to share the ideas.

example: in the short story “a jury of her peers”, mrs. hale compares mrs. wright to her caged bird, saying “she—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. how—she—did—change” (glaspell).

paraphrasing

what: paraphrasing differs from quoting because you restate the passage in your own words. since you don’t use the author’s words, you don’t need to use quotation marks. however, you still need to acknowledge the author for his or her ideas.

when paraphrasing a text, you should communicate the full meaning of the text; don’t change the meaning. it can be a condensed version of the text, or it could end up being longer than the source it’s paraphrasing.

when: you use paraphrasing when you take notes, or explain a chart or diagram to someone. paraphrasing highlight the important parts of a larger text. it also allows you to simplify the ideas for your readers.

example:

original: “it was no ordinary thing that called her away–it was probably further from ordinary than anything that had ever happened in dickson county. but what her eye took in was that her kitchen was in no shape for leaving: her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted” (glaspell).

paraphrase: as mrs. hales walks around mrs. wright’s home, she notices that the kitchen is in disarray as if she was in the middle of baking bread (glaspell).

this is hard!