The Relevance of A Doll's House

The topic of whether or not "A Doll's House" should still be studied today is a fierce debate. However, despite being from a different time period, the themes of A Doll's House make it still just as relevant today as it was 150 years ago.

Nora's struggle with Torvald and her inability to be independent from him highlights the struggle women face in building a career and lives for themselves without the help of a man. Nora ends up coming to the realization at the end of the play when she decides she must leave Torvald. She states that "I have to stand completely alone, if I'm ever going to discover myself and the world out there. So I can't go on living with you" (Ibsen 146). Here, we see Nora becoming empowered to stand on her own and overcome the control of the men in her life. She ends up shedding her relationship that up until that point had kept her shackled, and finally learns to be independent. She is able to find her personhood, and no longer relies on a man to find fulfilment in life. This is an experience that many women today must still go through, having to learn that they can be independent, as many ideals perpetuated by society are still male-dominent. Because of this, the journey a woman takes to find independence is still very much a real one, and thus renders A Doll's House still a relevant story with important themes. For this reason, I believe A Doll's House should still be taught.