A Doll’s House was published on December 4, 1879, and first performed in Copenhagen on December 21, 1879. The play was so controversial that Ibsen was forced to write a second ending that he called "a barbaric outrage" to be used only when necessary. The controversy centered around Nora’s decision to abandon her children, and in the second ending she decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom. Rather, what the play symbolizes about our needs in society, to communicate, and to work towards understanding and tolerance, are much more important issues to a modern day audience. It makes us wonder; can we still learn from Ibsen? Yes we can. Many modern day values are presented in this family. Money is still such a vital role in society. If you don’t have it you’re worthless, and if you do you are nice to have around. People need money, and still today they will go out of their way to get it. At the time Ibsen’s wrote and presented this play it was unheard of that a women could leave her family in pursuit of herself and her own happiness. Nowadays this idea is commonplace. Ibsen showed that women were first people, not just doll’s, not a "play thing" for her husband. And that women are intelligent and had others needs than raising a family, and taking care of the home. A women of this century might be taken aback by the idea that a mother left her children, and yet at the same time yearn for her own dreams to get fulfilled. She might secretly long to be as bold as Nora. Or she might want to tell Ibsen that Torvald was indeed a good man, and got hurt by Nora’s stupid actions, and that Nora does not represent most women.
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