Jan 3, 2010

The Town Poor | The Town Poor

At a glance:

Author: Sarah Orne Jewett
First Published: 1890
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: The mid- to late nineteenth century
Setting: New England
Principal Characters: Mrs. William Trimble, Miss Rebecca Wright, Ann Bray, Mandana Bray, Mrs. Janes
Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
Subjects: Rural or country life, Women, Greed, Old age or elderly people, Isolation, Cooperation
Locales: New England

The Story

Mrs. William Trimble, an independent and comfortably fixed widow, and Miss Rebecca Wright, a spinster who is dependent and of marginal means, discuss the impact of the severe weather on farmers in nearby Parsley as the two women journey home in Mrs. Trimble's horse-drawn carriage. Although the two women are friends, the author emphasizes the differences between them by having the narrator shift the focus from their conversation to their demeanor—how they respond to the ride and to the cold. Mrs. Trimble, an “active business woman” who has been obliged to handle...

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The Town Poor | The Town Poor

At a glance:

The Story

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