The road to independence

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The Road To Independence As an individual grows, he or she is molded by the actions of the parents or parental figure that is present in the home. In Henrick Ibsen's play A Doll's House Ibsen created Nora who is a victim of her upbringing and male dominance. What is responsible for Nora's attitude toward life and her acceptance of a commanding mate? Nora has been emotionally controlled her entire life, and she does not know true love. It is only natural for her to grasp for emotional freedom and rebel against all which stands in her way. Throughout her life, Nora's actions and attitudes portray her as a very unhappy woman. By analyzing Nora's treatment by her father, her marriage to Torvald, and the Victorian time period in which they lived, and process of events which lead to her final decision to leave the family may justify her supposed abandonment of her family.

Daughters have a special place in their life for their father. This is not different for Nora and her feelings toward her father. Nora's father is a very controlling parent. Growing up, she was restricted in her actions and dialog. As she grew to the age of marriage, because of her upbringing she knew nothing of the outside world. The only man she had been accustomed to was her father, which led her to believe every decision her father made was correct. Nora's attitude toward males and her perception of society were very similar from other woman of the time. It was common during the Victorian time period for the male figures in a home to act as the dominating role in the family. The man made the decisions for the family, and the other family members were to follow.