A woman is married to a man who she loves dearly, but she feels unfulfilled by her life as a wife and mother. One day, she comes across a group of women who are living their lives to the fullest and enjoying every moment. The woman is inspired by their example and decides to leave her husband and pursue her own happiness. She is now living her best life, free from the constraints of marriage.
I’ve chosen Gail Goodwin’s short story “A Sorrowful Woman” to do my critical analysis on. I’ll attempt to break down and explain the plot of this tale, how it progresses from the perspective of Goodwin’s unnamed wife, and the husband’s character as the tale is recounted throughout this paper.
I believe that “A Sorrowful Woman” is a story about a wife who is struggling to keep her sanity while being trapped in a unhappy marriage. The plot of this story revolves around the unnamed wife and her husband. The wife is constantly feeling unsatisfied with her life and she turns to various things to help cope with her unhappiness. These things include, but are not limited to, housework, taking care of her child, and having an affair.
The husband is mostly oblivious to his wife’s unhappiness and continues on with his own life. However, there are moments where he does realize that something is wrong, but he never really tries to fix the problem. The story is told from the point of view of the wife and it is through her thoughts and actions that the reader is able to see how unhappy she really is.
The story begins with the wife introducing her husband to the reader. She does this by listing off all of the things that he is, such as a good provider and a good father. However, even from the beginning, it is clear that the wife is not happy in her marriage.
This is seen when she states that her husband “took away my will”. The wife then goes on to talk about how she used to be a different person before she got married. She was once a “wild thing” who did whatever she wanted, but now she feels like she has lost herself. It is clear that the wife regrets getting married and having a child because it has taken away her freedom.
The next section of the story focuses on the wife’s unhappiness with her current situation. She talks about how she feels like she is “drowning” in her life and how everything that she does is for her husband and child. The wife also mentions how she can never have a conversation with her husband without him interrupting her.
This shows how disconnected the two characters are from each other. The wife then goes on to talk about how she feels like she is trapped in a “cage” and how she sometimes wishes that she could just disappear. It is clear that the wife is not happy in her marriage and she is desperately trying to find a way out.
The final section of the story focuses on the wife’s affair. She talks about how she has been seeing another man and how it has made her feel alive again. The wife also mentions how she is not worried about getting caught because her husband would never suspect anything. This shows how little faith the wife has in her husband. The story ends with the wife saying that she is not sorry for what she has done and that she would do it again if given the chance.
The plot, from what I can tell from the story as I go through it, concerns the gradual deterioration of the unnamed spouse and mother’s emotional state. The wife’s life revolves around her family until she is overwhelmed. Gail Goodman’s spouse then begins to withdraw from her family until they are completely excluded from her life.
The final straw comes when she tries to smother her young son in his sleep. This story could be interpreted in a number of ways, but I think it is meant to show how even the happiest of families can have someone who is struggling on the inside. It also brings up the question of whether or not it is better to stay in a unhappy marriage for the sake of the children.
The wife in “A Sorrowful Woman” by Gail Godwin starts off as what seems to be a happy Wife and mother. She cooks and cleans for her family, and generally takes care of everything. However, over time it becomes clear that she is not as happy as she initially appears to be. The wife gradually withdraws from her family, until she is completely shut out of her life. The final straw comes when she tries to smother her young son in his sleep.
This story could be interpreted in a number of ways, but I think it is meant to show how even the happiest of families can have someone who is struggling on the inside. It also brings up the question of whether or not it is better to stay in a unhappy marriage for the sake of the children. In the end, the wife in “A Sorrowful Woman” by Gail Godwin makes the decision to leave her family, which may or may not have been the right choice.
Although the wife in the tale does have a kid, it is extremely unlikely that she would be suffering from any post-partum stress as a result of childbirth; since the child in the narrative at this time is already a two-year-old. Gail Goodman’s wife is dissatisfied with her current household duties and desires to try out various roles, but has trouble coping when confronted with making more interesting decisions.
The wife eventually realizes that she is not content with any of the other roles she tries on and returns to her role as a housewife.
While it is not directly stated, it can be inferred that the husband works long hours which leaves the wife feeling isolated and bored. It is also possible that the husband is emotionally distant, or maybe even unfaithful, which would add to the wife’s feelings of dissatisfaction. It is clear that the wife loves her husband, but she is not fulfilled by her current situation.
The story does not have a happy ending, but it provides a realistic look at marriage and relationships. It shows that even when people love each other, they are not always able to make each other happy. It is possible that the couple in the story will eventually divorced, or they may stay together and continue to be unhappy.