Essay About Unnamed Wife And Secret Sorrow

Secret Sorrow Sorrowful Woman
Secret Sorrow Sorrowful Woman
There are many differences between “A Secret Sorrow” and “A Sorrowful Woman”. One difference is the problems that the two women face. In “A Secret Sorrow” Faye deals with a physical problem, the inability to produce children. In “A Sorrowful Woman” on the other hand the unnamed wife deals with a psychological problem, making it more complex and difficult to fix. Another difference is the role the men play in the stories. Kai, from “A Secret Sorrow” has a forceful role, he plays the role of the average formula fiction man, hes masculine, strong and tries to save Faye from herself. For instance when Faye told him that he didnt have to be a gentlemen and that it was okay for him to leave her it was interesting when Kai responds with the line “Shut up and stop playing the martyr”. He refused to allow herself to give into her insecurities and wallow in self pity. Instead readers constantly see Kai picking Faye up and trying to snap her out of this funk she has slipped into. He spends the entire story trying to force Faye to believe that she is worthy of being loved. The unnamed husband in “A Sorrowful Woman” is the exact opposite of Kai. The unnamed husband is an enabler, always understanding he does not do anything to help his wife get over her problems. Instead he in a way avoids the issue and allows the woman to succumb to her issue eventually resulting in her downfall. Its interesting that Godwin constantly repeats that the husband always understands. It shows that he realizes his wife is having trouble and he wants to help however the way he attempts to help just perpetuates the issue instead of resolving it. He complies with his obviously unhinged wifes demands and behaviors, just understanding not fixing. He allows her to get away with things such as hitting the child, firing the nanny and not doing her household responsibilities. The battle is lost when the husband allows his wife to isolate herself from her family and move into a separate room in the house. When his wife decided to move into a separate room and lock herself away from him and his son he did nothing, “at first the husband was dismayed. But he was receptive to her needs. He understood.” The husband should have stopped always being understanding, feeding into his wifes illness and instead should have attempted to snap her out of this crippling state she was in, instead he stood and watched as she collapsed into herself and basically curled into a ball. Whats also different about these stoires is the type of stories they are. “A Secret Sorow”