Analysis Of Mary Wilkins Freeman's A New England Nun

This passage is found towards the end of "A New England Nun" written by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and describes the main protagonist, Louisa, and her complacency with her solitary, ritualistic lifestyle as opposed to marrying her disruptive and unfaithful partner that she had been engaged with for 14 years. Throughout the story, a routine of common domestic work and chores are done daily, similar to a nun's simplistic habitual schedule, which most likely consists of prayer and other Catholic church duties. The quote references to a scene from the bible and describes Louisa as having a birthright as well. Firstly, a birthright is "any right or privilege to which a person is entitled by birth" ("birthright", Dictionary.com). In history and seen today by the British royal family, it is described and taught as the firstborn son's right to succeed the throne and uphold the crown. The bible, which highly emphasizes this concept as well, contains stories of the firstborn sons in families assuming the position and …show more content…
For much of the 19th century, a growing system termed as the cult of domesticity and true womanhood prevailed in the United States and described the ideology of a woman's life in the private sphere. While portraying the essential four characteristics of piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness, a woman's responsibility and goal was to achieve marriage, take care of the household, and tend to the husband's needs and wishes. This work, being published in 1891, serves to challenge those conditions as Louisa takes ownership of her own birthright. Completely ironic, the female, Louisa, recognizes her birthright to live a remote life while in New England, which is historically noted as Puritan for much of the 16th and 17th