Analysis Of Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman's A New England Nun

In A New England Nun, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman writes vividly about the feelings of her character Louisa Ellis after her breakup with her new ex fiance Joe Dagget. But, the difference between this breakup and the average is the fact that Louisa is now old and seasoned as she has awaited for the averal of her fiance for fourteen years while he was off in Australia, only to have it broken off upon his return. “... on waking, she felt like a queen”. The average woman would seemingly be devastated if she was to spend fourteen years of her life waiting on a man who in the end presumably went off to be with another woman. But, Louisa is not the average woman. She did not spend her fourteen years dreaming of being wrapped in the arms of her fiance or raising their offspring. She spent her fourteen years of solitude and privacy living her life. And, living at as she saw fit. For the time period in which she lived in Louisa Ellis had an exceptional circumstance. She lived her life from a young age to her approximate her thirties all by herself. While her peers married, mothered and worked in the house at young ages well into ages past their primes. Here is a woman whom has been fortunate enough to have fourteen
Throughout the entire story subtle colors and sub plots are raised. From liberating colors to the focus of how much Joe’s actions disturb her, all of these signs seem to suggest Freeman’s reason for writing her short story. And, that reason seems to be that she wishes to pass on the message that one’s happiness she never be depended on the presence of another. That one’s happiness should originate from the joy that comes from doing things that one finds pleasure in. Freeman seems to believe that one’s happiness should be found in hobbies, loved ones, the acceptance of oneself and the overall self pleasure that one can only find once they truly find their place in