29 pages • 58 minutes read
Mary Wilkins FreemanThe Revolt Of Mother
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1974A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Irony
There are several examples of irony throughout “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” starting with the title. Sarah Penn is “Mother,” a title put inside quotation marks. This can be a lack of authenticity in this role because, instead of minding her husband and staying in her place, Sarah revolts. In this way, Freeman subtly expresses an ambivalence about the message of the narrative; years later, this ambivalence becomes outright dismissal when she effectively disowns this story.
It is ironic that the animals are getting a better living arrangement than the humans, whose home is rundown and inadequate. There is also an ironic twist to the fact that Sammy, a boy, knows more about the barn than his own mother. Some instances of irony are almost comical, like when Sarah claims that she does not complain and then goes on to list every fault with their home and deride her husband for ignoring them in favor of the barn.
When Adoniram leaves the farm and Sarah uses the opportunity to take over the barn, this is an application of dramatic irony that intensifies readers’ expectations and emotions as they wonder what will happen when Adoniram returns.
Local Color/Regionalism
Freeman writes in a straightforward yet colloquial style designed to focus on an area’s dialects, customs, history, and culture. She uses affected regional dialogue (dropping final consonants, for example) and nods to a cultural religious bent through the Biblical and old-fashioned names of her characters. The tale also references early American statesman Daniel Webster and the 1759 Battle of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War.
Freeman’s work is part of the “local color” movement, a style of writing that became popular after the Civil War thanks to influences from both romanticism and realism. It brings characters and topography to life, but this style may also be overly nostalgic or sentimental. Some critics found “local color” stories to be exploitative and condescending, partially because of the more educated third-person narrator often found within them.
In “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” regionalism provides the context of the power struggle at the root of the story. It grounds the narrative in a particular time and place, helping readers picture the scenes more clearly. It also clearly defines the social norms against which Sarah was rebelling so readers better understand the significance of her actions.
Alliteration
There are several cases of alliteration in “The Revolt of ‘Mother,” which emphasize certain parts of the text by using repeating consonant sounds to create a rhythm and mood.
Freeman uses alliteration to enhance the local color and bring the story to life. For example, Sarah is described as “a small woman, short and straight-waisted” (9). The monosyllabic “s” words—small, short, straight—underline the averageness of Sarah’s physical presence. The sentence “The spring air, full of the smell of growing grass and unseen blossoms” also uses multiple “s” sound; in this case, they evoke a breezy quality. Likewise, Nanny is described as having a “sweet slow voice” (35), and the alliterative adjectives evoke the kind of cadence her speaking voice might have.
Alliteration also draws a clear picture of the household and the work done within it. When Sarah describes their “nice clean kitchen” (49), the sharpness of the “k” sounds implies a crispness that readers can envision. Supporting this picture of domestic stability, the phrase “dinner dishes” provides a solid and clear tone. Nanny’s “steady sewing” (109) seems, with its gentle “s” sounds, to be as soft and retiring as the girl doing it.
Later, after Sarah has moved the family into the barn, a young hired man “came gaping, dropping little blots of foam from the brimming pails on the grass” (136). These short “b” and “p” sounds evoke the surprise he felt. For Adoniram’s dinner coming home, Sarah makes “brown-bread and baked beans and a custard pie” and is wearing a “clean calico” (145). These words’ repeated “b” and “k” add a crispness much like the one expressed at the old household, emphasizing how Sarah wants the barn to feel just like their former home.
Oxymorons
Oxymorons add color, humor, and meaning to a story through contrasting words. In Freeman’s story, this literary device creates drama and emphasizes the characters’ internal and external traits. For example, Sarah is described as “mild,” “benevolent,” and “meek” but also with a “will” of her own (9). Similarly, Nanny has a “gentle distress” (35), implying she is often quite upset but chooses to suffer silently.
Freeman also uses oxymoronic descriptions and metaphors to enhance the meaning and tone of certain scenes. This often applies to Adoniram. When he leaves to visit Sarah’s brother Hiram, he is “defiantly apologetic” (105). This shows that while he feels remorse for hiding his plans for the barn from Sarah, he still feels he is in the right. Therefore, he will not change his mind. At the end, when he returns and finds that Sarah has moved into the barn, he feels “like a fortress whose walls had no active resistance” (166). The stability he felt as leader of the house was upended because she circumvented his wishes.
