Act III- # 6 How do you interpret her final slamming of the door?

The final conversation between Torvald and Nora and slamming of the door reveals the true nature of both characters and their deepest desires in life. The couples goals in life appear to be obvious throughout the story, but it is not until Nora “slams the door” on Torvald that the reader completely understands the hidden principles of each character. On the surface, it appears that Nora simply wants to keep her husband happy (by protecting his health and doing whatever he wants her to do). Torvald appears to strive for wealth, pleasing his delicate unknowledgeable wife, and always doing the right thing. In the final scene leading to the final slamming of the door, Nora reveals that her head does great deal more of intellectual contemplation than she is given credit for. Because she learns that law would not take motive into consideration and that she would be condemned in court, she tells Torvald that she “must try to discover who is right, society of me” (1732). In a sense Nora is maturing as an individual, but she is also abandoning her family. While it is true that Torvald is not the man that she expected him to be, he is her husband and she should try to work things out with him. It is not completely his fault that she let all of her anger resentment build up inside to the point of explosion. At this time, men were in charge of the house so Nora may have worried about the consequences of speaking up. Unfortunately by not speaking up, Nora and Torvald’s marriage shattered into millions of pieces which is symbolized by the final slamming of the door. Torvald reveals that his top priorities are not being moral and ethical, rather it’s his reputation. Throughout the play, Torvald prides himself in his high morals and condemns people such as Krogstad as immoral and therefore unbearable to be around. By automatically deeming his wife incapable of raising his children due to one mistake, Torvald reveals a hidden radical and self-centered nature within him. Both Nora and Torvald hold one thing in their life higher than each other: Nora holds her education and self investigation higher than her husband and Torvald holds his reputation higher than the importance of his wife. The final slamming of the door signifies the clash between Nora and Torvald that cannot be solved. While a door is closed on Torvald’s dream life, a new one is opened for Nora.

To be, or not to be, that is quite a famous question!

Before I read Hamlet, I had often heard the quote “To be, or not to be, that is the question,” (57) and wondered where the quote had originated and what exactly it meant. It is easy to misinterpret when it is heard out of the context of the Hamlet story. In fact, it is easy to misinterpret within the story or not acknowledge the depth of meaning in the quote.

To my surprise the famous quote came from one of Hamlet’s soliloquies spoken to Ophelia. Hamlet’s soliloquy investigates questions regarding life and death and the fear of the unknown. Hamlet verbally tries to sort out his feelings by speaking of suicide as a subject not directly relevant to himself. When he is discussing death, he could also be referring to the pending murder of Claudius. Hamlet never uses I, rather in his most famous quote he says “to be, or not to be” which could be referring to anyone. Hamlet struggles to understand “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer” (58) or the “conscience does make cowards of us all” (84). Hamlet does not know if he should stay alive and carry out revenge for his father’s death as his father’s ghost directed him, or if he is being a coward by being scared of the unknown (his own death). Hamlet reasons that man is only scared of death because “no traveler returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have,” (82). Sometimes a negative situation is easier to deal with than a future that is uncertain. While the unknown could be better than the present predicament, it may also be worse.

Another element of the soliloquy that should be analyzed is what Hamlet’s intentions are as he is speaking. Depending upon if the reader thinks Hamlet is acting crazy as an act to fool everyone or if Hamlet has indeed gone mad, the scene will be interpreted differently. If Hamlet is not mad, he may anticipate that he is being spied upon. Then Hamlet would know people were listening, and he may deliver the speech with the intention to get a particular reaction. If Hamlet is crazy, the speech shows an inside look at the convoluted brain of a mad man. He is trying to reason the best way to lead his life or find excuses to put an end to it. Regardless, Hamlet’s thoughts focus on the subject of death and the mysteries around it.