A Sorrowful Woman Analysis

Within the story “A Sorrowful Woman,” Gail Godwin weaves a tale that tells the story of an intriguing family that likely seems normal on the surface, but within has deep issues. The story ultimately ends with the unfortunate death of the protagonist, with the death being surrounded in mystery. Ultimately, the wife’s death comes down to her sickness being incurable and her needing to have some control of what was going on within her life.

When the wife is initially sick, it isn’t very clear as to what could make her as physically sick as she was. Simply looking at her child should not be enough to make anyone physically sick. This directly leads into the idea that something else must be contributing to the situation. A genetic disease fits this idea perfectly: she likely would know what was to come of herself (based on what she had seen of other family members) and that is was most likely untreatable.

The idea she has a genetic disease is supported by the fact that her husband, who was stated as being very “understanding of things,” never took her to the doctor. Genetic diseases are, for the most part, incurable. While some treatments may be available to slow the progress of the …show more content…
She express other symptoms throughout the story, as well. The idea of locking one away from the outside world is a sign of depression. Every night she was unable to fall asleep, suggesting insomnia. When the son approaches her with the grasshopper she quickly becomes angry, which is indicative of irritability. When the wife is imagining she other people besides herself she could be experiencing moments of delirium. Lastly, based on the husband helping her get dressed and the fact she stops writing poetry when she does leads to the idea that she is losing control of fine motor skills, like buttoning a shirt or