Question

Nora: Listen, Torvald. I have heard that when a wife deserts her husband’s house, as I am doing now, he is legally freed from all obligations towards her. In any case, I set you free from all your obligations. You are not to feel yourself bound in the slightest way, any more than I shall. There must be perfect freedom on both sides. See, here is your ring back. Give me mine.

–A Doll’s House,
Henrik Ibsen

Which statement best explains how the plot structure contributes to the theme in this passage?

a. Nora's speech resolves the conflict and develops the theme that women have an equal right to be free.
b. Nora’s speech resolves the conflict and develops the theme that freedom cannot be bought.
c. Nora’s speech complicates the conflict and develops the theme that the unexamined life is not worth living.
d. Nora’s speech creates a new conflict and develops the theme that people must make sacrifices to keep the peace.

Answer 1

A: Nora's speech resolves the conflict and develops the theme that women have an equal right to be free.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

The statement that seems to best explain how the plot structure contributes to the theme in this passage is:

a. Nora's speech resolves the conflict and develops the theme that women have an equal right to be free.

The reason why we may come to that conclusion is the fact that the play "A Doll's House" was considered scandalous by some and revolutionary by others because of its ending. Nora's decision to leave her home and family in order to free herself from duties and humiliation was something almost unthinkable at the time (1879). In the excerpt we have just read, Nora's speech is one of independence and equality. She knows that, by leaving, she is giving her husband the right to not care for her at all anymore. However, she also chooses to make it clear that she is freeing herself of the same obligation. Her attitude and action empower her, maybe not in the face of society, but to her own eyes. She is no longer her husband's puppet.