William Wordsworth’s short story Nuns Fret not at Their Convents Narrow Room is one which, depending on the reader, can be interpreted in a totally different way than what Wordsworth intended. The poem attempts to prove the point that not everyone needs lavish or free spirited lives to be happy. Wordsworth says the people such as nuns and students can be totally content with that type of life and find solace in situations that others may find not so appealing. The repetition of the bland lifestyles such as the hermit and the maid that he goes on to talk about along with the other professions are the repetition that Wordsworth uses. He mentions these types of lifestyles that all have one major theme in common which is that they are not particularly appealing to many of the people reading. Yet, his point obviously being as stated before that despite that truth, they still live happy lives which is truly what matters. This poem portrays the idea that people do not need much to be happy and can be content with simple lives, however for many reading this is not true.

For some happiness may not require much, however for those who are truly happy it does require quite a bit. One thing that all of these people have in common besides that they all have generally unappealing lifestyles is that none of them can truly live freely because each one is under some form of rule by someone or something else. For example, the nuns have to maintain their dedication to God and are persuaded to not think totally freely but to stay within the confines of their religion. The narrow convents that they live in should be the last of the things that they have to worry about. Total freedom of the mind is key to finding happiness. Or, to add to that, the maid is employed by a person who is higher up in the ranks of society than her and she most likely never crosses that persons mind other than when it is time to pay. The maid cleans this house that she has no way of ever obtaining and does it because she has told herself that that is her worth and what she is good for. With that mind set one can never truly be happy because they have not given themselves the chance to even branch out and see what else there is to make them happy. 

Of course no one can deny that these people are not happy because they may very well be, and if that is the case then good for them. It is not so much that what they do or how they live is so bad but instead the fact that they and every other human settle for less than what they deserve; freedom. There is no worse thing in this world than being obligated to someone or something else and many would agree that once one achieves individuality they will then be granted solitude. Some want to fit in with others and some just do not know better but deep down everyone wants to be able to think and do their own way. Wordsworth makes the argument that solitude can be achieved with simplicity and even torture-like lifestyles but that is no way to live.

Living within bounds is not truly living. If the nun believes in God and lives by what he says that is fine and that is her prerogative, however if God did put us here he did not do so for us to worship him around the clock. He would have done so because he had faith in us to step and think outside the box. To some this type of thinking may be considered sacrilege but to those who truly want to live it is the only way to think. Freedom is key to happiness however freedom can only be achieved if you believe that you deserve it. The nuns and the students are not really free, they are under a strict code of conduct and therefore they cannot be as happy as they might otherwise be if they were not. People have used phycology to get others to obey them since the beginning of human civilization and it still occurs today. The ones who were able to realize that they had the capability to think for themselves and change the predicament that they were in were the ones that went on to be free. Then in some cases used the same manipulation on others. Every person has the right to free thought and every person should believe that there is no limit to what they can do.

The beauty of reading is that the interpretation of the message is ultimately up to the reader in the end. For this specific poem, the message that Wordsworth implied was not received in the way he intended but another one was; a message to dare to be happy. Of course some people may live happy lives if they choose to play it safe and not think to their full capability. However, these people could potentially be even happier if they told themselves that there was more to them and more to what they are capable of. No human should be under the control of another human or way of thinking. Everyone should try to take advantage of the incredible tool called the mind and never settle for mediocre but always strive to be and do more.
