The Grandmother In Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's Old Woman Magoun

The grandmother in Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 's short story, "Old Woman Magoun," is an important controversial character in the plot. Throughout the story, the plot builds up to the critical ending. Considering the time period and setting of the story makes the whole plot understandable as the meaning behind the actions of the grandmother, Old Woman Magoun, are explained. She had raised her granddaughter, Lily, in a very isolated, yet caring and loving way to protect her from the harms of the world. Though it may be a dubious act on behalf of the grandmother to let the granddaughter die without warning her of the poisonous blackberries, her intention to maintain Lily 's innocence, resonating as the theme of the story, became her priority as the …show more content…
Although the grandmother 's actions provides controversy, throughout the story, she is actually a loving, caring, and selfless person. She took care of Lily her whole life, and to let go of her and letting her die devastated her the most. To save her granddaughter from danger, she made the tough decision to let her pass away but, at the same, know that she will be in a happier place where she doesn’t have to worry if she is well. Old Woman Magoun is a selfless person who was willing to be apart from her granddaughter she loved the most to put her well-being first.
Works Cited
Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins. "Old Woman Magoun." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Oxford UP, 1992, pp. 207-224.
Kopelman, Loretta. "The Forced Marriage of Minors: A Neglected Form of Child Abuse." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 44, 1, 2016, pp. 173-181.
The Gale Group, Inc. "Divorce and Custody." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society, 2008. www.faqs.org.
Williamson, Judith. "Mary E. Wilkins Freeman." Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2016.