Father, Mother, and Family Influences

"The Revolt of Mother" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, involves a family coming to terms with changes that must be made in its structure. The story gives interesting insight into what offspring take away from their parents and influences.

It is ironic that the main characters of the story, 'Father' or Mr. Penn and 'Mother' or Mrs. Penn are joined in marriage but also have the most conflict between one another. Mother cooks for Father, "never [failing] in sedulous attention to his wants"(Freeman 1348). Father, on the other hand, has bilked on his area of provision. He, as Mother says is "lodgin' [his]... beasts better than [his] own flesh an' blood" (Freeman 1350). Their conflict does not arise out of Mother's desire to emphasize her feminism, but to merely force Father to complete the things he promised her in marriage. The way in which the two interestingly parallels and contrasts their children.

The children of Father and Mother, Sammy and Nanny Penn seem to be learning how to deal with one another, their parents, and the relationships they may come to be in. Although Nanny does not have much interaction with her father, she is aware of what he is not providing for her, namely a parlor, but she is not resigned to the idea of an unconcerned husband and men in general, as her mother (Freeman 1348). Nanny is sure that her betrothed is different, despite the influence of her mother and the example of her father. Sammy also shows progression in his attitudes towards such things. Sammy first appears in the story as a miniature version of his father, unwilling to tell his mother about his father's doings (Freeman 1347). Sammy seems to have learned much from his father, grunting in the fashion of an older man and vaguely answering the questions of his mother and sister. However something is different in Sammy than his father, which peaks through as he moves to act as a shield for his mother when his father returns from buying the new horse (Freeman 1355). It seems that both Sammy and his sister are influenced by their parents but also have hopes and new ideas of their own on dealing with issues, such as those of their parents.