The Revolt Of Mother

Sarah’s husband Adoniram is a reserved man, a good father, and a steadfast worker who brought his family some prosperity. Readers can infer that Adoniram feels good about his accomplishments; when he rides off in his cart after Sarah admonishes him for the shoddy state of their house, he stands “as proudly upright as a Roman charioteer” (94). He is a man with work to do and no time for nonsense. When Hiram’s letter comes, the promise of more stock to improve his farm is the only thing that can lure him away from his work.

The character is named after a Biblical figure. Adoniram means “my lord is exalted” in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Adoniram was an overseer and tax collector who supervised forced labor under David and Solomon and was stoned when he went to collect tribute from rebelling Israelites.

In a way, Adoniram is the story’s antagonist because he conflicts with his wife’s priorities. He is first described as an “old man” who is so shocked by his wife’s questioning that his jaw is dropped and enlarged as if with “a heavy weight” (3). After promising Sarah a new home, he instead constructs a new barn and refuses to discuss it with her. When Sarah confronts him, he repeatedly tells her he has “nothin’ to say” (80, 86). Firm in his dominance, he tells her to tend to her own affairs, his comments “almost as inarticulate as a growl” (7). By virtue of living in a patriarchal society, it would not occur to Adoniram to consult Sarah on a matter like this.

He is not unfeeling, though. The “heavy weight” (3) he feels upon being questioned, along with his reticence to address the subject, implies he feels guilty for going back on his word. Then, in the end, Adoniram’s stoicism drops away and he is brought to tears by Mother’s actions—though it is slightly ambiguous as to why. 

Nanny is Adoniram and Sarah Penn’s daughter. She is a supporting character in this narrative—quite literally, as she provides passive support to her mother’s rebellion. She is “a pretty girl,” described as “pink and delicate as a flower” (21), and has a “sweet slow voice” (36) light hair, and a large, soft figure. Nanny is engaged to George Eastman, who never appears in the story except as part of the dialogue between Nanny and her mother.

Nanny is an innocent in some ways. Her forehead is unlined, indicating she does not worry much, and she acts timid, dreamy, and mild. Nanny seems almost like an empty vessel, taking in her mother’s teachings about men and her future role as a wife. She also appears to be fragile in health; Sarah tells Adoniram that without a new house, Nanny cannot continue living with them after her marriage, which is a drawback because she is not strong.

While Nanny clearly agrees with Sarah about the barn, she does not seem inclined to action. She makes a petty joke about getting married in the barn but displays no active defiance to its construction. She shows the strongest emotion when Adoniram returns from his trip and goes to the shed: “The thought how her father would be confronted by the cow flashed upon Nanny. There was a hysterical sob in her throat” (146). She stands behind Sarah when Adoniram comes out to ask what is going on; this is her last appearance in the narrative. The text states that both children’s “inborn confidence in their mother over their father” (145) has asserted itself.

Though he is young, Sammy Penn is already his father’s confidant. When Sarah wants answers, she turns to Sammy first because she knows this. In a patriarchal farming society like theirs, men are presumed to have a certain amount of worth not accorded to any woman. As Nanny is a receptable for her mother’s teachings, Sammy acts in much the same capacity for his father.

He is introduced while combing his hair in front of a mirror. The description of his physical appearance is short: “He was lightly built, but clumsy. He went out of the yard with a curious spring in the hips, that made his loose homemade jacket tilt up in the rear” (42). He is as taciturn as Adoniram, answering Sarah in short sentences—when he answers at all. Though no age is given, he is clearly old enough to help on the farm, go to school and come home for dinner on his own, and have a certain amount of independence.

Sammy is like his father; when he grunts a certain way, Freeman writes that “he had learned it from his father” (97). But he is also like a child; when he goes back to school, he takes “soft sly lopes” (58) out of the yard because he would rather play marbles than do chores. After an unsuccessful attempt to call him back, Adoniram blames Sarah for letting him run off.

Once Sarah reveals her plan to turn the barn into their home, Sammy exchanges glances with his sister but following Sarah’s instructions, as “overawed” (133) as Nanny is by the development. Sammy is the first one to sees Adoniram coming home, and he steps in front of Sarah, almost like a shield. He stands up bravely to his father, telling him, “‘We’ve come here to live, father’” (150). That minor act of defending his mother is his last appearance, and it clearly shows his confidence in Sarah over Adoniram.