This is a comparative study of three literary works of the 19th century, Eliza Orzeszkowa's novel Marta, Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, and Henrik Ibsen's drama Nora. The common analytical frame is the metaphor of the doll's house, which seems to provide an apt description (diagnosis) of the condition of each heroine, the space they inhabit, and their attitude to the economy of their everyday lives and their husbands. It also defines the situation in which each of them decides, or is compelled by circumstances, to move out of their sheltered place. In each of the three fictional cases the attention is focused on the growing self‑awareness of women, who would not have gained a mature knowledge of the world and of themselves if they had not been forced to abandon their doll's house existence.