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Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—A Dark Cloud:
Torvald’s metaphorical assertion in Act Three that Dr. Rank’s pain and loneliness was akin to dark clouds that make the sunshine appear brighter and more desirable is deeply revelatory of how he views his marriage to Nora:
His suffering and his loneliness seemed almost to provide a background of dark cloud to the sunshine of our lives. Well, l perhaps its all for the best. For him at any rate. [Pauses.] And maybe for us as well, Nora.
As the passage above illustrates, Torvald has relied on an example of sadness—Dr. Rank— to remind him of the good things in his life. This demonstrates that he has taken his relationship with Nora and his social position for granted. Torvald’s selfish lack of care for the suffering of his supposed friend is also apparent in the callous manner in which he makes this metaphor.
Nora’s decision to leave her husband proves that Torvald’s metaphor is accurate, though perhaps not in the way he intended. His statement that Dr. Rank’s illness may be for the best, not only for him but for Torvald and Nora as well, ends up being ironic, as without the man’s dark cloud-like presence hovering over their lives as a warning, it soon becomes apparent that the sunshine of their marriage is not nearly as bright as Torvald once assumed.
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