A Sorrowful Woman

Godwin offers few physical descriptions of the woman. Other than her “soft ash-blond hair” (251) and “pale arm” (253), the woman’s identity is obscure both physically and psychologically. She is a woman “sad and sick” (249) by the sight of her family, but there is little information to contextualize whether this is a sudden change in her behavior or something that has been brewing. Her familiarity with the sonnet form, affinity for novels, and affection for a “favorite sweater from school” (251) suggest she attended college. Whatever degree or career she may have pursued, she is now a homemaker whose major tasks include parenting, cooking, and cleaning. The woman’s ambiguous background highlights her lack of identity and how essentialized notions of gender conflate “woman” with “mother” and “wife.” By rejecting the sight of her husband and child, the woman reveals her desire to reject the roles that define her only in relationship to these males. Determining who she is outside these roles is her main internal conflict.

The woman struggles to articulate an autonomous identity when she confesses, “I’m not myself anymore” (250). Reading and writing do not provide solace or the spark of self-discovery. Muted by her daily sedatives, she becomes increasingly numb, catatonically brushing her hair and staring out the window.