At the end of A Doll House, Nora leaves and gets Torvalds out of her life. In Trifles, Mrs. Wright finds a way to be free from her husband. Both of these women will pay a heavy price for their actions. This paper makes the argument that of the two characters, Mrs. Wright is more justified in taking the drastic action because of three main reasons. First Mrs. Wright s has no social life bur Nora has children and friends. Secondly, Mrs. Wright is poor and a low class woman but Nora lives is affluent and enjoys the abundance of the upper-class. In addition, Mrs. Wrights husband’s attitude towards her is more selfish then Nora’s husband.
Before Mrs. Wright got married to her husband, she was a Minnie Forester and one of the only girls in the industry. Mrs. Hale describes her as one who “ used to wear pretty clothes and be lively” (Schilb, Clifford, & Hollingsworth 946). Also she says that “She was kind of like a bird herself-real sweet and pretty” (Schilb, Clifford, & Hollingsworth 949). From this description, we can see she was an outgoing person and enjoyed her social life. However, after she gets married, she is confined to her home because of her husband. She lives in the lonely place. When her husband went to work, she was left in her isolated home, where she did not have friends who visited her. Mrs. Hale likes Mrs. Wright but she has not been in her house in more than one year. This is because Mrs. Wright’s house is gloomy. Also, she has no children. So, when she was in the house, she enjoyed singing herself and she did her sewing. However, Nora has good friends who can help her. Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde are her good friends. Also, she has three small children and a housemaid. She is not alone. When she has trouble with Krogstad, Mrs. Linde tries to help her. She meets Krogstad and asks him to change his mind. So, Krogstad accepts her demand but Mrs. Linde tells her that Krogstad should not reveal his letter to Helmer because Mrs. Linde has a true friendship with Nora. Dr. Rank also wants to help her. Nora says to Dr. Rank, “You’re my best and truest friend, I’m sure. That’s why I want to talk to you” (Schilb, Clifford, & Hollingsworth 918). Nora believes him and can count on him for help. Most of all, Nora attends many social activities. She travels and goes on trips. She also enjoys festivities. For example, she prepares Christmas and a costume party. She says, “Now Torvalds wants me to go as a Neapolitan peasant girl and dance the tarantella that I learned in Capri” (Schilb, Clifford, & Hollingsworth 910). It shows us that Nora had many parties and enjoyed them. Mrs. Wright is always in her quiet house alone. However, Nora has many events with her family, friend, and a maid. Therefore, Mrs. Wright is a lonely person while Norah enjoys a wide social network.
Nora and Mrs. Wright both are unhappy. Both are tired of husbands. However, Mrs. Wright is more justified in taking the drastic action because she is alone, lives in poor household and husband is more selfish. If Nora wants to change her life, she can. However, Mrs. Wright has no chance for changing her life. Killing her husband is the only way to change her life.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik, and E. Julius. A doll's house. Waiheke Island: Floating Press, 2008. Print.
Glaspell, Susan, and Donna Haisty Winchell. Trifles. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2004. Print.
Schilb, John, John Clifford, and Joyce Hollingsworth. Making literature matter, an anthology for readers and writers. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. Print.
