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In "A New England Nun", Mary E. Wilkins Freeman depicts the
life of the classic New England spinster. The image of a spinster
is of an old maid; a woman never married waiting for a man. The
woman waiting to be married is restricted in her life. She does
chores and receives education to make her more desirable as a
wife.
This leads to the allegories used in this short story. The
protagonist life paralleled both of her pets' lives, her dog
Caesar's and that of her little yellow canary. Both comparisons
are of restriction and fear of freedom. The animals and the woman
of this story are irreversible tamed by their captivity, and no
longer crave freedom. Ideas of sin guilt and atonement are also
present between the woman and the dog. These images typify
nineteenth century beliefs of women and their place in society.
This story of Louisa Ellis is an allegory for woman, and uses the
levels of allegory ironically. The stories of the dog and the
bird layer......

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Approximate Word Count: 1716
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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