Torvald Helmer is the least likable character in A Doll's House, a play by Henrik Ibsen. Torvald is sometimes described as a sexist pig. Such a reading does Torvald a disservice. There is more depth to his character if you follow the clues that he had actively hidden Nora's father. The first clue came when Nora told Kristina that Torvald had given up his government post because there were no prospects for advancement. It may have been that there was no chance of advancement because promotion was slow within the office, but it may have been because his closest colleagues (those who would use the familiar Du with him) were aware of what he had done . Although management did not prosecute him (just as Krogstad was not prosecuted), those who knew about the incident could prevent his promotion to an office where his thieving tendencies could cause serious damage. A second clue is that Helmer saw Krogstad as a threat to his new job at the savings bank: "he seems to think he has a right to know me." Did he suspect that Krogstad knew the one terrible secret that could destroy him? The third clue follows this lead: Krogstad expected Nora to have enough influence to convince her husband not to fire him. Why did he believe it, unless he had some suspicion about its past influence? A further hint comes when Helmer observes: "I pretend that we are secretly in love - secretly engaged - and that no one dreams that there is anything between us." Why does he want it? Isn't this a reference to the conflict of interest regarding your father? Finally, after reading Krogstad's letter, Nora's father comes to mind almost immediately; he exclaims, “So this is what I get for condoning his guilt! I did it for your sake, and t...... middle of paper ...... and Artist. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami.Koht, Halvdan. Ibsen. A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Notes: 1. Clurman (1977:115, 117). Brandes (1964:77-78): "The man is thoroughly honourable, scrupulously upright, thrifty, careful of his position in the eyes of strangers and inferiors, a faithful husband, a stern and loving father, kind-hearted. . . 2. Brandes (1964:49) says that Ibsen sees Helmer as a stupid and evil man, whose "stupidity arises exclusively from his self-righteous selfishness." 3. Clurman (1977:115-116) presents Krogstad's traditional interpretation: "a tender man driven to harshness."