The Revolt Of Mother: The Power Of Decision

The Revolt of Mother: The Power of Decision

Decisions shape our lives. In history , the decisions of leaders and

generals have changed the course of mankind. In today's world , multi-billion

dollar corporations rest on the decisions of a few select executives. On a

smaller but no less important scale, acting on decisions can liberate people

from stagnation. In the story "The Revolt of Mother" the main character shows

us the power of acting on decisions. Mother recognizes the wrongs of her

situation and weighs the effect on her family. In the end she acts to free

herself and her family from forty years of wrong.

Mother lives forty years with a suppressed dream—a new house

promised to her after her wedding. She lives with the everyday routine of

cleaning the house and cooking pies for the family. This shows the stagnation of

her everyday existence; an existence brought about by forty years of non-

decision. Mother stays content with her shack. "She was a masterly keeper of

her box of a house. Her one living room never seemed to have in it any of the

dust which the friction of life with inanimate matter produces"(LACpg.284).

This shows the lack of empowerment mother has at this time of the story. This

state is partly due to the society—a time that was male dominated and

discouraged the wife to speak out—and partly because mother just feel into a

routine that included everything except her happiness. I felt that mother

centered her life around providing for her family but forgot to look towards her

own needs. She bakes pies, cooks dinner and it everything else except things

that made her happy. Mother discovers disturbing news when she learns that her

future house is giving way to Father's new barn. Mother would have probably let

her dream die if it were not for a conversation with her daughter. Mother

realizes that it's not just her happiness involved. This breach of contract now

involved the happiness of the family. Mother does something that changes her

state: she decides and acts on it.

Many times our personal happiness takes a back seat in a busy world.

I forget my own need sometimes just trying to please loved ones—mom, dad, mom,

dad. Sometimes when someone else's happiness is in jeopardy I'm more inclined

to act. Mother is ashamed that her daughter is going to be married in such a

small, drafty house. "I want you to lo...

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...gave Mrs. Penn a name—

Sarah—in the end because she claims the god given right to be noticed and heard.

Sarah Penn reminds me of another historical figure that forced a

change—Mrs. Rosa Parks. Mrs. Rosa Parks decided that she was tired so she sat

in the white section of the bus. Her decision to sit and her act of defiance

forced us to re-evaluate Civil Rights. We were forced to know her name and

realize her wrong. The power of acting out a decision gave Mrs. Rosa Parks a

name and a voice that others rallied around to right a breach of contract. A

decision that is made and acted upon has no other outcome but results. It

forces a change to happen and sets us free from a circular trap of inaction and

indecision. I decide tonight to break a cycle of indecision by calling someone.

For an entire week I was thinking up reasons to call this person. For an entire

week I was caught in indecision. In the middle of writing this paper, I decide

to bite the bullet and call. Sure enough, I broke the cycle and received some

results. The results raised some new problems—a decision of where to bring her

for l unch. I will take this kind of decision over a week or wondering any day.