Sorrowful Women

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Gender RoleGayle Godwin’s story, A Sorrowful Woman, describes a woman who feels tired of playing her role as a mother and a wife. The woman had been married for a few years and had been happy to perform duties. One day, however, the woman felt tired of seeing her husband and son. The feeling was sudden, and the woman could not explain why she suddenly did not want to be part of her family. She also feels that she wants to try other roles other than the one she was used to. All throughout the story, Godwin shows the role of both men and women in a family.
Godwin portrays women as people tasked with the role of taking care of the family. Their roles include preparing meals and generally looking after the welfare of the family. “I am not myself anymore” (Godwin 172), the woman stated when she could no longer perform her roles. Although Godwin portrays women as people limited by home duties, women roles have drastically changed. Women are taking on more demanding roles. In the modern world, women hold many roles including successful businesses, leadership positions, and many others.
Additionally, Godwin describes the role of men in the household. When the woman becomes depressed, the husband “rearranged his life” (172) to ensure everything in the house went on normally. The stereotype that men should not play an active role in running the house is far-fetched. Men are nowadays doing a great job in running the household, even in the absence of their wives.

In some families, men undertake duties such as cooking, washing and so on, whereas women provide for the family. Both women and men have generally accepted the changing roles and undertake them with enthusiasm.

Work Cited
Godwin, Gale. “A Sorrowful Woman.” Dream Children (New York: Avon, 1983) 171 (1973).