Point of View, conflict and theme in A Sorrowful Woman
Introduction
At one point in every woman’s life, they crave for freedom from everything else that appertains housework, motherhood, and wife duties. With dishes to wash, laundry, children to feed, a husband to look after, a house to keep, and visitors to entertain, it is only a matter of time before a woman becomes bored and dull. In the short story ‘A sorrowful woman’, by Gayle Godwin published in 1971, the author explores on a story of a young lady and a mother that suffers from depression as she can no longer withstand taking care of her family and all the house chores. The young mother because of the exhaustion of her role as a housewife becomes sick in front of her son and husband. The general thought of taking care of her family and the house overwhelms her and thus, the husband is forced to hire a nanny to assist with the chores. Eventually, the young woman becomes isolated by retreating herself into her bedroom where she begins making conversations with the notes that she places under her bedroom door. One day after preparing food for her family, as usual, she dies later that evening in her room due to depression. The author displays the young woman as an ideal while the caring and loving husband is a nobleman who focuses on giving her all that she needs to be well. However, she does not get well and her isolation affects her the most. Godwin shows how selfishness of one individual destroys the lives of an entire family. The husband is forced to adjust his schedule and take care of his young son, while his wife recovers from her depressed state. Seclusion does not help depressed people to heal. Eventually, when all is too much for them to bear, they succumb to death. This paper will provide an analysis of the short story ‘’A sorrowful Woman’’ by focusing on point of view, conflicts and tone as the three major elements as portrayed throughout the story.
With respect to the short story’s theme, ’A sorrowful Woman’ is all about a troubled young wife who carries her roles of taking care of the house while feeling unhappy and in most times taking out all her troubles on her son and husband. The young mother and wife is a symbol of the actual state of most women in the contemporary society. As a woman there are different roles she has to undertake in taking care of their homes can be overwhelming. The challenges of balancing between a dutiful wife, a home keeper, and a loving mother sometimes overlaps driving one to the point of insanity. However, she puts operates with courage until she can no longer take it physically due to her deteriorating health.
The short story ‘’A sorrow Woman’’ is narrated from a point of view of the speaker who is mainly focused on the inner conflicts of the young woman and her family as the main characters throughout the whole story. The characters from the story are never addressed by their names rather the narrator refers to the woman as she, wife mother and the woman in the whole story which creates the assumption of the use of viewpoint as it is narrated from outside. One primary part that indicates the point of view from the narrator is when he states that their sight made her even sadder and ill and she never desired to see them. From this point, the readers can see how the narrator views the character and his description of the conflict that she faces within herself affecting her role.
The woman’s portrayal of being weak and incapable of handling the family challenges which is influenced by getting used to doing the same things. Godwin describes the woman as a ‘sheltered queen’ who is loved by her husband no matter the circumstances. This can be proven when the young lady state “I am the luckiest woman,” she said, crying real tear” (Godwin 1). This, therefore, shows that she was happy with the treatment by her husband but her role exhausted her. Her husband attempts to do all in his powers to take the pain off his wife’s chest. Tolerance among partners is also advocated for in the story as the man always tries to look at things from his wife’s perspective no matter how difficult they are. When the babysitter and the child tried to surprise the young woman, they end up infuriating her even more.
The young woman’s depression is seen to be as a result of her own self-loathe and not family troubles. She hates her role as a wife and also as a mother which pushes her emotional further from her husband and son and she begins to dislike them as well. It is only by valuing herself that she would be able to value and respect all others. She believes that being a wife and a mother is not valuable and thus she hates all that she does even though it is for her family’s wellness. The story, therefore, highlights the threats that are associated when one does not value themselves enough and how those around them are affected. The woman is empty inside and unsatisfied with life to an extent that no amount of affection, care, and support is able to pull how out of her unhappiness.
Godwin uses both external and internal conflict in the story. Inner conflict is portrayed by the young woman as she is no longer fulfilled by her role as the perfect wife and mother. She appears to have no other form of desires from the role that she plays in the family which she completes fully. However, one day as a cause of no apparent cause seeing her husband and child gave her sickness. After confiding in her husband he offers support and even asks if there is anything he can do to assist. She later becomes fully retreated and her isolation makes her even worse. The woman goes through inner conflicts which affect the stability of her family despite having support from her husband.
Goldwin utilizes a sad tone to portray the conflict within the story as the young woman is torn between personal fulfillment and being a perfect woman for her family. When the story begins the conflict is well portrayed which allows the readers to set the mood for the upcoming showcases through a series of unhappy family events. The young woman is unhappy and bitter with the society and life, in general, has no desire to try and work things through with her husband (Godwin 1). As the story progresses she seems to be getting worse even though her husband remains hopeful. Her son even notices her tearing down and says to her father “Mommy is sick,” but his father responded by telling him to go to his room (Godwin 1). Satire is also evident in the narration whereby, a woman who seems to have a flawless family, one every other female would wish for, lives hating her life and struggles with fits of depression. Even though she has a loving husband and an adorable child, there does not seem to be enough to mend her damaged thoughts and perception.
In conclusion, the short story ‘’A sorrow Woman’’ focuses on inner and external conflict of the young woman and the effects on her family. The young woman can no longer perform her role as she did before because she believes that she adds no value. Her family which adores and care for her does not make her happy or satisfied and she becomes overwhelmed by thoughts and withdraws from her family and gradually she feels to isolation and depression. It is from the narrator’s point of view that the readers are able to understand the underlying theme of sorrow and conflict that destroys a young family. While love and affection are all some people may crave to have that perfect life, it takes more than that for others to attain fulfillment. A life lived with a lot of self-dislike and regrets cannot be fixed with mere words of comfort and good deeds. Godwin uses three important elements to portray the story which are the point of view, conflict, and tone.
Work Cited
Godwin, Gail. "A Sorrowful Woman." 1971. Pdf
