A Doll's House

Nora asks Torvald to reconsider dismissing Krogstad from the bank, but Torvald becomes angry, revealing that it is Krogstad’s post that he has promised to Mrs. Linde. Nora tells Torvald that she fears Krogstad who, once dismissed, will attempt to besmirch their name in the newspapers.

Torvald thinks that Nora is afraid of libel because her father’s name was sullied in the newspapers after his death, so he reassures Nora that, unlike her father, he is beyond reproach. Nora warns about the contrivances of men like Krogstad against their happy, family home. Torvald finally replies that Nora’s pleas make it all the more impossible for him to change his mind. What if word got out that he had reversed his decision simply because of his wife’s anxieties? Torvald argues that Krogstad is taking advantage of their early childhood friendship to speak to him in an inappropriately familiar manner, which would make his position as manager intolerable. Incredulous, Nora tells Torvald that he surely must not be so narrow-minded. Becoming ever more angry, Torvald orders the maid to send Krogstad his letter of dismissal at once.