Kristina Linde, or Mrs Linde, is Nora’s childhood friend. Ibsen uses her as a foil character to Nora to highlight Nora’s naïvety. This is because Mrs Linde was forced to marry for financial purposes since she needed to support her sickly mother and brothers. Further in the play, we find out that Mrs Linde also had to sacrifice her love for Krogstad. After her husband died, his failed business had left her with no fortune and no children. As a result, Mrs Linde needed to work to support herself, though she had limited employment opportunities because of her gender. Because of her hardships, Mrs Linde is wise and realistic. This is contrasted with Nora’s naïve outlook. An example of this is when Nora discloses that she received a loan to pay for their holiday, as Mrs Linde notes “No, a wife cannot borrow without her husband’s consent” and Nora responds, “Is it imprudent to save your husband’s life?” This reflects how aware Mrs Linde is of the law, in contrast to Nora’s ignorance towards reality.
