Did Nora do the right thing?

 In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora’s decision to leave her husband and children at the end of the play has sparked debates for over a century. Was it the “right thing”? In the context of the play, Nora’s actions are deeply personal her choice to reclaim her freedom after years of being infantilized and controlled by her husband, Torvald. She recognizes that she has been treated as a "doll" both by her father and then by Torvald, as she admits, “I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa’s doll-child” (Ibsen 175). Nora’s decision to leave represents a rejection of the gender roles that define her existence. It’s an act of self-liberation that resonates even today, as women continue to fight for personal freedom and equality in societal expectations. 

The question of whether Nora did the "right thing" is not a simple one. While her decision empowers her to take control of her life, it also carries the cost of abandoning her children, leaving them without their mother. The moral complexity of her actions challenges us to consider the balance between personal freedom and familial responsibility. Ultimately, Nora did the "right thing" for herself, choosing self-discovery over a life of subservience, but the cost of that choice invites us to question how we weigh individual freedom against the needs of others.