Revolt_of_Mother

The Revolt of “Mother” The short story “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” by Mary E. Wilkins is considered regional literature due to the use of specific setting which influences the characters, regional dialect, and a educated narrator who intervenes to translate between country dialogue and a more urban, educated dialogue. The setting of this story shows that it is in the country on a farm in the 19th century in which there is a barn, and an old farm house. The dialect in which the characters speak was common at this time in small rural towns. This regional language that developed is a typical trait of local color literature. Throughout this story an observer narrates the story from a third person point of view. This view shows that the narrator is clearly educated via the use of scholarly and descriptive vocabulary and by using proper or formal grammar. This story revolves around a family, the Penn’s, and the mother, Sarah, who decides to take control over her own situation. At this time women held a quite power over the family, this story shows just how much power a determined steadfast woman can have even at such a time when women were not considered equal to men. Stories that are considered regional or local color literature use specific influential setting, regional dialect, and are narrated through a knowledgeable trusted observer, such as in “The Revolt of ‘Mother’”. This regionalism story shows that setting effects the characters actions by influencing their lives and motivations.The physical setting shows the time period, the 1890s, and place which is on a farm in New England during the summer. Sarah Penn, the revolting “Mother” in the story interacts with the remoteness of their location by asserting her control when Mr. Penn leaves. In such a rural area she has more power than she might have in a city where society would be watching her more closely and expecting more of a submissive woman. Since the whole family is expected to work to take care of the farm, the wife and husband are seen as equally important, even though this is not stated. This also effects the other people that live nearby in the rural area, the small town likely has not very much going on so they all gather when any commotion from the usual activities takes place. When Mr. Penn starts building the new barn its clear that its the talk of the town and the barn is much nicer than their existing 40 year old home. The story’s basic setting influences the community and exemplifies the remoteness of this small town. The setting also plays a role in the climax of the story, after Ms. Penn’s pleading for a new home and the building of the barn, Adoniram or Mr. Penn gets a letter about going to see a horse. Mr. Penn leaves for a few days, this factor is based on the setting which requires him to need a new horse. After her request is denied Ms. Penn moves the family into the new barn while Adonriam is gone, showing her independence. When she moves orders the children to help her pack up their house and move everything to the new barn they do as they are told . She takes command of the house while her husband is not there, but she has an unspoken command even when he is there. The setting contributed to the push toward a womanly authority in this story. Where the story is set also effects the dialect in which the individuals communicate with each other. Regional dialect is a characteristic of regionalism, this way of speaking is specific to the area and is not standard English. Characters use words like “goin’” and “ain’t” leading the reader to believe it is a mostly uneducated country town. While the way the people of the town speak is old fashioned the actions of the Ms. Penn are not. She makes a revolutionary movement, and her husband in the end cries for he feels that he has wronged her. This is a symbol to show that even though women did not have a clear power over the home, an unspoken power willed itself and pushes the movement toward women gaining independence. Local color stories portray a specific group or a specific communities problems, this one portrays women's roles out in the country and how they might have differed at this time from women in high class educated communities. The dialogue shows this areas language and that most of its citizens are not well educated but are more of the working class of society. Regionalism literature is characterized by this aspect of being seen through the the bias of a person removed from power, in this case it was the mother. Another aspect of regionalism is that the narrator is a distant observer, as the narrator is in this story. The narrator serves as the translator from the country dialect of this rural story into intelligent, proper English usage. This narration is in objective third person view only giving insight into the characters thoughts through clues. This narrator is well educated and uses a wide range of vocabulary such as “benevolent” and “eloquence” to describe the characters. Also the narrator uses many metaphors and smilies, comparing the mother to something earth bound such as a boulder. Without an intelligent narrator the reader would not see the drastic difference between the language the characters use, which is majority slang and improper. This shows the story was clearly intended for more modern and urban readers. This wide range audience factor of the story is important when considering if a story is a regionalism story, regional stories are told as rural tales with obvious conflict. This story is told through a scholarly narrator who gives vivid images that are more relatable than the dialogue between characters. In the short story “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” by Mary E. Wilkins the reader is forced to consider how the regionalistic approach to this piece of literature shows the relationship between the male and female roles in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The quiet authoritative women did exist and often times held a leadership over the family that was never spoken of. This story can be considered opposite in point of view from a Hemingway story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” that is told looking on the man’s side of what was expected of men and women at this time. This particular Hemingway story shows the strong courageousness that was expected of men, and “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” shows the strong side of women who take control of the situation. This story did not look at the man’s side, since in regional literature the stories are about minorities who were not seen as powerful in society. By making the reader analyze how the setting, dialogue, and narration effect how the story is told Mary E. Wilkins shows through a local color piece of literature what power a steadfast woman could really have.