Redefining place: femes covert in the stories of Mary Wilkins Freeman

Studies in Short Fiction, Wntr, 1996 by Janice Daniel

Probably the most recognizable of Freeman's women who choose to remain single is Louisa Ellis in "A New England Nun." Granted, her decision is prompted by an overheard conversation that prompts her to consider other people, but she is content to know that she has determined the best course of action--or inaction--for herself as well. In rejecting marriage, she can retain her space in a lifestyle that has always been "full of a pleasant peace" with which "she had never felt discontented" (7). Not surprisingly, when considered in light of Freeman's other females, hers is a life in which numerous actions, words, and attitudes imply enclosure. In the first sentences of the story, Louisa is securely confining her sewing by quilting her needle into her work that she then confines in a basket along with her thimble, thread, and scissors. Immediately, she encircles her waist with a green apron, covers her head with a flat straw hat, and goes to her garden where her bowl will contain currants and her apron will hold their stems. These images are underscored both inside the house by the canary contained in his green cage, and outside by her dog confined by a chain to his secluded hut.

After dinner, she removes her green apron to reveal another one underneath--a pink and white sewing apron--which in turn covers yet another--her company apron in white linen with cambric edging. After Joe Dagget's visit, she immediately replaces each one, enclosing herself in triple layers of covering. The removal and replacement of aprons not only advance the enclosure motif but also are precise and methodical, reflecting other rituals that help to validate Louisa's identity. Instead of enduring a narrow or restrictive existence, Louisa is consistently creating her own place with "the enthusiasm of an artist over the mere order and cleanliness of her solitary home" (9). Freeman's enclosure images do not indicate a lonely spinster confined by limited experience who is to be pitied; rather they define for Louisa a place in which she finds her own fulfilment.

In rejecting her option of marriage, Louisa is actually recreating her own place in her own home that she is quietly confident is best for her. Her space is one of "delicate harmony" where order and routine give her the feeling of a queen whose domain is "firmly insured in her possession" (10, 16). If she were to marry, she would forfeit this space that gives her meaning, thus losing part of her identity in being united with another person "when their interests and possessions should be more completely fused in one" (11). Another person--a husband--would not be comfortable in this "hedge of lace," this "fairy web," in which Louisa surrounds her chosen space where "everything was still" (6, 8). Like her canary who is peaceful again in his cage at the end, Louisa's last image is one of tranquil enclosure. She can "fold away in lavender" as long as she wishes, and the metaphorical rosary of days which encircles her is not confining, as many readers interpret; rather, she is in control and at peace with herself as she is in the act of "prayerfully numbering" each one (16, 17) in her place of harmony, order, and autonomy.