A Doll's House

How does Nora plan to take advantage of her relationship with Dr. Rank?

Act 2

Asked by
Last updated by jill d #170087
Answers 1
Add Yours

In Act II, Nora detains Dr. Rank and tells him that she always has time for him. Dr. Rank replies in kind. Confused by his statement, Nora asks him to clarify his interests, asking him if anything is likely to happen between them. Dr. Rank reveals that he expects to be dead within a month. He then asks Nora to prevent Torvald from entering Rank’s sickroom once he has entered the final stages of his disease. He arranges to leave Nora a visiting card with a black cross on it at the right time to signify that he is about to die. As night approaches, Nora and Rank have an odd conversation which flits between the serious and the mildly flirtatious. For instance, Nora pulls out a pair of silk stockings to show him, and they talk about how much leg Nora will have to show him for him to form an opinion about the stockings.

Nora is clearly building up toward asking Dr. Rank for financial help. He then, seemingly unexpectedly, confesses that he loves Nora. He says that he only visits the household on her account. This confession makes her request for money impossible, for it now would make their relationship tangled and explicit. Nora leaves the room briefly to bring in a lamp. Steering the conversation back to safer territory, Nora explains why she loves Torvald even though she seems to enjoy her time with Dr. Rank more.

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/brave-new-world/study-guide/summary-chapters-1-3