The tarantella holds particular significance in this act. The tarantella, a very fast dance, is said to have originated as a cure for a poisonous spider bite. The exertion from the dance was supposed to sweat out the venom and thus save the person's life. This legend gives new dimension to the symbolism of the tarantella in this act. Nora decides that she would commit suicide immediately after the dance; she, like the bitten dancer, is betting on it to either save her or to give her one last hurrah. Nora also examines her legacy in the hours before the party. In a fit of near hysterics, she tells Kristina, "You must bear witness that it isn't true. I'm perfectly sane, and I know exactly what I'm doing now, and I tell you this: no one else knows anything about it--I did it all by myself..." (p 201). The reader can see that she has developed from Act I; Nora, instead of being careless with her words, intentionally gives Kristina her testament, possibly to be used in court. This reinforces her decision to commit suicide, which Krogstad doubted when he said, "You forget that then your reputation would be in my hands..." (p 200).
At the end of Act II, Nora intends for her suicide to protect her children from corruption, and more importantly, to shield Torvald. The reader, however, gets a sense that Nora has started to realize the state of things between her and her husband. The flirtatious mood between Dr. Rank and Nora establishes that Nora does not feel comfortable expressing herself around Torvald. In spite of this, Nora exploits and distracts Torvald by asking him to watch her dance. She jauntily prompts, "Sit down and play for me, Torvald dear; criticize, and show me where I'm wrong, the way you always do..." (p 203). The sexual undertones of this scene demonstrate that Nora knows Torvald well enough to manipulate him, but that he does not know her well enough to recognize a trick. By the end of Act II, Nora has not had an epiphany about her relationship with Torvald, but the reader can anticipate that she will have to acknowledge her feelings (or lack thereof) about him. Her actions show that she cares about him as a person, but not as a wife. She compares being with him to being with her father; she subconsciously thinks of him more as a family member than a lover.
Is Nora starting to come to terms with her relationship to Torvald? Does the escalation of the plot correspond at all to the tarantella? Does Dr. Rank suspect that there is growing discontent between Torvald and Nora?
I believe Rank could be catching on to the issues and indecisions haunting the Helmers' marriage, but only the very slightest details. It's interesting that the tarantella is used as the dance considering that it originates in Italy where the trip financed by Nora's forgeries and such. Thus it represents, in my mind, a reminder of the divide between Torvald and Nora and a forbidden mystery or untouched area of communication.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your last question, I'm pretty sure (or am assuming) that Dr. Rank had already known or for seen the discontent growing between Torvald and Nora. I say this in reference to when he mentioned to Nora that he thought she would soon be with him like she was with Helmer. Not only that, but I feel that Dr. Rank would know Nora better than anyone else (through observation and their conversations) and would be able to tell her difference in person a to Torvald.
ReplyDeleteI commented on Hannah Q's, Daven's, Josh C's, and Gordon's blogs.
ReplyDeleteWow, all I can say is that I never really thought about the possible connection that the tarantella had on the actual theme/plot of the story. Now that I've read and am aware of this I can see how well thought out the symbolism is in this play. From your blog I also realized that maybe Nora was becoming more aware of her relationship with Torvald even before he became aware of their crisis, whether she knew it or not.
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