A New England Nun
In “A New England Nun”, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman depicts the life of the classic New England spinster. The image of a spinster is of an old maid; a woman never married waiting for a man. The woman waiting to be married is restricted in her life. She does chores and receives education to make her more desirable as a wife. This leads to the allegories used in this short story. The protagonist life paralleled both of her pets’ lives, her dog Caesar’s and that of her little yellow canary. Both comparisons are of restriction and fear of freedom. The animals and the woman of this story are irreversible tamed by their captivity, and no longer crave freedom. Ideas of sin guilt and atonement are also present between the woman and the dog. These images typify nineteenth century beliefs of women and their place in society. This story of Louisa Ellis is an allegory for woman, and uses the levels of allegory ironically. The stories of the dog and the bird layer the theme to help represent Louisa’s life, who in turn represents the Eighteenth century woman of society. Louisa’s animals and their relationship to her suitor are further links between her and her pets. The suitor brings out different traits than the norm in both the animals and
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Louisa Ellis, Joe Dagget, Lily Dyer, Dagget Louisas, Wilkins Freeman, Joe Louisa, Louisa Joe, Im Louisa, joe dagget, little yellow, yellow canary, little yellow canary, dog house, louisa ellis, animals woman story, animals woman, set loose, life chores, dog caesar, tamed louisa,
Approximate Word count = 1733
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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