The General

I think that there is one character in this play that is looked over completely, and that is the General, Hedda's father. Though he obviously does not have a speaking role and does not physically take place in the play, he does have a very important role. I think that the General is the main reason why Hedda is how she is, he's the reason behind her quest for control. Because of the family's standing and simply because the General was used to being in command, i imagine that Hedda's life when growing up lacked a lot of freedom. She was probably constantly pushed around and controlled by her father, and i think that it was because of this that she developed her need for control. Also i think that he still held control over her even after his death. This is shown in the beginning and end of the play. At the beginning, in the description of the setting a picture of the general was shown to be in the the drawing room, right above the sofa, in the middle of the place where most action takes place; somewhere that he can still constantly look after Hedda from. Though not directly mentioned again, whenever characters are sitting down or in the drawing room, he is still part of the situation. The end though, is probably the most important part that i'm trying to show. The general's picture was right above the sofa, the same sofa that Hedda commited suicide on. This shows Hedda's last act of rebellion against her father, her last attempt to gain control. She finally gained control of herself by going against the power her father still had over her, and killing herself right in front of him.