Breaking the Mold: A Doll's House and the Modern Loyola Experience

 As a Loyola student, Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House," written in 1897 can be easily related to our own experiences, with such challenges to us to have to critically analyze societal norms and life expectations that have shaped our lives. Even though the play is set in the old days, we can still in a way see gender roles, the fight for autonomy, and life with societal pressure from others as depicted in the play remains relevant today as a student. The striking aspect of "A Doll's House" is the idea of constrained individuals particularly women by societal expectations. As in the play, Nora feels trapped in life as a wife and mother, she seems to be pressed by society, family, and her own peers. We today have our own struggles of the sort in a way with our families and society as some of us may be parents already or have nieces and nephews to have to look after and the effect of society on them and you is rash. You have to mold them and also mold yourself while making difficult decisions even if it turns out bad as Nora did. Nora also shows her need for autonomy and that resonates with our own self-discovery and our fight for independence. Nora herself says "I  must stand quite alone if I am to understand myself and everything about me," and we are reminded of the importance of forging our own path and making our own definition of life. We all have had a rebellious phase towards our parents, with the fight for self-freedom from them to make your own means and as we are fight for freedom in life, in general, to make means in society hard to fit in and understand. As we examine the struggles between Nora and Torvald we can reflect on the challenges we face to challenge social norms. The times may be different and the laws may be different but in life, we are still oppressed by people as students and as members of society with peer pressure and the pressure of society and how they impose their ideals on you to either fit in or be an outcast and make by your own means.