Thursday, February 13, 2014

Why does Nora abandon her children in A Doll's House?

I'm not sure "abandon" is the right word for Nora's actions--we ultimately don't know whether Nora restores a relationship with her children after leaving Torvald or not. Nora does leave her husband at the end of Act III after she is forced to face his true nature and realizes how selfish he is. She also realizes that, as Torvald's wife, she has lived more of a child's life than an adult's. After her confrontation with Torvald, she most wants to reeducate herself to live as an independent woman. About her role as a mother, Nora says to Torvald:

"I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake first. I must try and educate myself--you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now."

Nora's decision is not so much to abandon her children as it is to put herself first for the first time in her life. In addition to motherhood, Nora believes that:

"I have other duties just as sacred. . . duties to myself. I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being . . . or, at all events, that I must try and become one."

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