Reflection on a Social Issue on A Doll’s House and in Real Life

The Saarikoski article demonstrates the present-day relevance of issues critiqued by A Doll's House (from a Scandinavian woman's perspective, funnily enough). That being said, Saarikoski specifically writes about middle-class women in Washington, DC. Some of what she observes may look familiar to us, while some of it may not reflect our own experiences as strongly. So, where do you see echoes of issues raised in A Doll's House in your corner of the world?

​​Write a reflection of at least 2 full pages that compares a social issue in A Doll's House to something from your own experience. This "something" could be trends or social practices you observe from real life, or it could be a contemporary piece of media - a book, movie, television show, etc. from within the last 5 years or so. If you choose media work, it could be one that performs critique like A Doll's House, but it could also be one that is uncritical and exemplifies the social problem that you choose to examine. There are many possible directions.

Narrow your focus down from something as broad as "gender roles" or "social class" so that you’re writing with specificity. Here are some suggested topics that appear in A Doll's House:

- The wife as a status symbol

- The impact of financial independence/dependence on marriage dynamics

- The patriarchal bargain

- The image of the patriarch and its inherent pressures

- The infantilization of women/societal obsession with youth

- Language commonly used to talk about women vs. language commonly used to talk about men

All of these relate to the relationship between economic structure, class, and gender. Regardless of what you choose, remember that you have all those moving parts to consider.

Grading criteria:

- The reflection is at least 2 pages long

- Any other texts, media, or resources are properly cited, with a) a full citation at the end of the reflection (Works Cited page) and b) parenthetical in-text citations when it is referenced within the reflection.

- The reflection analyzes at least three pieces of text evidence from the play. Analysis does not simply summarize or give surface/plot details, but engages with authorial choice, such as specific word choices, tone, subtext, etc.

- The reflection makes relevant connections between A Doll's House and a contemporary piece or situation, and it explains those connections convincingly. Statements about contemporary media are well grounded in cited text evidence, and statements about real situations are either well researched with cited sources or credited as specific personal experience.

- The reflection goes beyond identifying social inequalities and discusses how they are created/perpetuated. The focus is not on what, but on why

Example: Instead of "women shouldn't have to stay in the kitchen," the focus is, "here are some reasons why women have historically been relegated to domestic roles.

Example: Instead of "women can be strong and independent, too," the focus is, "here are some of the systematic ways that women have been put into dependent positions."

*Remember: nothing exists in a vacuum! Discussing women's rights isn't just about pointing out inequalities and stating that they aren't fair, as if they happened by accident and just need to be identified. The expected roles of men, the impact of social class and money, and the influence of laws and social structure are all enmeshed here!