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.