A Comparison of Mary Wilkins Freeman's two stories, "The Revolt of Mother" and "Luella Miller"

In looking for similarities in style and theme in Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's "The Revolt of 'Mother'" and "Luella Miller," the most obvious is that the central characters in each story are strong New England women living during the turn of the century. There is also the recurring theme of the ramifications faced by women who rebelled against their traditional role in a society dominated by men. What is interesting about these themes is not …

…disobedient for disagreeing with their husbands. This community retaliation is also reflected in Freeman's own life, as she was deemed a spinster since she spent over 25 years living with another single woman before she eventually married at age 49. For most of her adult life as a literary writer, she probably felt trapped because she was unable to achieve the same success as male writers of her day, and vented her frustration best through her writing.