What I thought was interesting about this piece was, not only did the woman, Louisa, feel trapped into her coming marriage, but so did the male, Joe Dagget. It's an interesting reminder that this trapped feeling that arises from gender roles is still an issue for both sides.
It is unclear to me whether I see Louisa completely as a new woman. This is because it is laid out in the story that she talks to Joe about calling the marriage off only after she secretly finds out his true feelings about it, her, and even another woman. Had she not happened to overhear the conversation between Joe and Lily, would she have confronted Joe about her feelings on the marriage? It doesn't really seem like it, since she had already so accepted her future. Additionally, when she did confront him already knowing it was something he wanted too, upon bringing it up she "had never known that she had any diplomacy in her."
I hadn't thought about that. I think I focus too much on the "it's the man's fault" side of things. But he was trapped, too. He felt a duty to her after all that time.
ReplyDeleteI had never even thought about the man's perspective in this. I had never considered that he felt just as trapped as Louisa. He was only staying with her because he thought he had to, similar to how Louisa felt.
ReplyDeleteI thought that her decision of calling the marriage off would symbolize new woman. Because I think it would be very difficult for woman to refuse her marriage at that time, however, she chooses to live her own life.
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