Gail Godwin's A Sorrowful Woman

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A Sorrowful Woman
A Sorrowful Woman is a short story written by Gail Godwin. This is a story about a woman who refused to accept her roles as a mother and a wife. The woman in the story was overwhelmed by her duties as a wife and a mother and withdrew from her husband and children completely. She was dissatisfied with her roles as a woman, but after trying other roles, none of them were able to satisfy her. Conversely, her husband is depicted as a gentle, respective and understanding man who does all he can to understand the sorrows of the wife, and tries to support her and help her overcome them. The husband hired a baby sitter to help her on the house hold roles but she still remain dissatisfied and fired her, then locked herself in a white …show more content…

This woman was not meant to be defined as a wife and a mother but she was left with no options, since that was what the patriarchal society demanded from her. She refused to fulfill her duties as a woman, he author writes, "the woman now spent her winter afternoons in the big bedroom and sat in the big chair and stared out the window at snow’ ridden branches" (Godwin 40). In contrast to his wife, the husband in the story is depicted as a loving father and husband who took over his wife’s roles and responsibilities in order to show his support to the woman. The man tried his best to console his wife by waking up early to prepare breakfast, taking the child to school, doing the shopping and even hiring a baby sitter for his son just to prove his love for his wife, but the wife remained selfish and detached herself from her …show more content…

All she needed was to educate herself and find some work outside her house instead of isolating herself from the two people who loved her; her husband and child. Her husband loved her and this is evident when Godwin writes, “squeezed his wife’s pale arm” and “sat for a long time with his head in his hands” (25). Just because the society demanded her to take care of her home, husband and child did not mean she could not have a career of her own (Gardiner 285). The sorrowful woman destroyed her life after she isolated herself from the family which led to her death. Godwin’s story signifies that, not all women want to be a full time wife and mother; they want to try out new

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