The Modern Nora

            
             The possibility of a "Nora- existing this day and age is absolute. Nora in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House was a woman who chose to find herself and to refuse the responsibility of her family by doing so. Today, we find women all over the world in every country, the United States to be a prime example, who choose to take their lives into their own hands and to drop any responsibility for their families as well. There are many reasons as to why women choose to leave their families to pursue their own lives, yet whether the decision is justified or not depends on the situation.
             In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Nora chose to leave due to the realization of how society shaped her life to the woman she was, deceitful, nave, and shallow. Once she realized that her whole life was formed by the structures of a male-dominated society, she then decided to make the hard decision to leave her husband and abandon her children. In many ways, similar scenarios present themselves in the same manner in the lives of many women today. Today's "Nora- could probably be found anywhere from a household of domestic violence to a loveless marriage. The "Nora- of today, however, brings up a few specific pictures to mind.
             As one example, a "Nora- today could very likely be a young girl of an upper class, wealthy family. A family that would pride itself by its status and live strictly by the unwritten rules of society. The father of the family would expect his daughter to be the perfect example of how a young woman should be, courteous, polite, and respectful. The mother would take it upon herself to make sure her daughter fits her father's and society's expectations. There would be many lessons of courtesy and politeness, table manners, posture, behavior, ballroom, and so on. The family as well as the society in which the wealthy family lives in would continue to shape her bend her thoughts to match those of the society.