Revolt of Mother, by Mary E. Wilkins

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The story “Revolt of Mother,” by Mary E. Wilkins depicts a woman (Sarah Penn) who is constantly exempt by her husband (Adonriam Penn) in taking part in important decisions until her frustration reached a breaking point, which ultimately leads to drastic changes in their family. In contrast a similar conflict arises in the movie Sleeping With the Enemy (1991), which was directed by Joseph Ruben. In the movie the main character, Laura Burney, had everything her heart desired. On the surface she had a beautiful house, a successful husband, and any material item she could ever want. However below the surface she was really married to a possessive as well as a physically abusive husband who made all the impressive luxuries she had seem insignificant. Similar to “Revolt of Mother, Laura’s identity was lost due to her husbands stereotypical mentality about gender roles until she finally took a stand to change that. Essentially both stories portray the discontent of presumed gender identities, and both women overcome their adversity to rediscover their own identities as well as to change the classic stereotypes regarding gender roles.

In “Revolt of Mother,” the story immediately illustrates in the opening sentences how little power Sarah has in making decisions. When Sarah comes outside to question Adonriam about the barn and his promise for a new house he responds by saying, “I wish you’d go into the house, mother, an’ tend to your own affairs…..But the woman understood; it was her most native tongue.” His swift dismissal of her thoughts as well as her initial display of submissiveness showed that he was in charge, which is basically where the conflict is formally introduced. Basically the main conflict depicted here are the presumed ...

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... the 19th century, and Sleeping With the Enemy takes place in the early nineties. The misconception regarding gender roles in “Revolt of Mother” was more of a norm among society because there seem to be little change occurring with women in the social hierarchy of that time. However in Sleeping With the Enemy the assumed idea of gender roles were not as socially enforced by that time despite what Martin believed in. The resolutions are also somewhat different because Sarah never had to kill her husband to regain her assertiveness, but in general both stories end with the woman over powering their husbands. Although there are obvious differences in “Revolt of Mother” and Sleeping With the Enemy, the two stories are still linked by the common struggle that women have endured in order to have an identity outside of the presumed role that was already set in place.

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