At the start of Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, Nora's identity was influenced by her husband and by society's expectations of how women should behave. During the time the play was written, the 1870's, women took a subservient position to men, especially their husbands, and they had few rights--they could not vote, could not sign loans, and would not have custody of the children in the case of a divorce. Nora's husband, Torvald, reinforces these gender roles by treating Nora like a child and as if she is only in his life as a possession or decoration. Her father has also treated her this way her entire life. Therefore, her identity has been shaped by the men in her life and by society; she feels and acts like a fragile, helpless woman. Later, her identity transforms when she realizes that she must claim her independence regardless of the cost. She recognizes how unfairly her husband has treated her and the problems of society's expectations for women, and has decided she has to make a change.
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