Obsession

Obsession – intense thoughts, feelings, and actions of devotion toward a person, place, thing, idea, etc. – is to be found among several of the characters in the novel, and none of them have happy endings. Ware therefore makes the argument that obsession not only deranges the mind, but is dangerous in and of itself.

Nora’s obsession is perhaps the mildest in the novel, but it is an obsession nonetheless. The object of her obsession consists of James and her past with James. For ten years, Nora has been unable to get over James. While her obsession might be characterized as love, her daily considerations of James and the past could indeed be considered obsessive. This obsession prevents Nora from moving on in life. Only at the end of the novel, by accepting that James is dead and by refusing to meet up with Matt, does Nora...