Freeman’s “A New England Nun”

In Mary Freeman’s “A New England Nun”, it describes, in intricate detail, the daily life of Louisa Ellis. This character is based on the women of the post civil war era, in the Northern states.   Freeman uses local color to describe the environment and characters to set the tone for Louisa’s life.  Much detail is given to Louisa’s mannerisms such as the motion in which she grasps objects, setting down, and all the details involved in such actions.  Freeman makes sure to almost plague Louisa with the symbolic gestures of getting everything right in all that she does.  The grace and serenity of Louisa gives you the sense that she is sitting across from you at your table and watching her sipping tea and sewing.  Louisa admires the perfection of all things linear and in its place.  You may be incline to believe that her home is a jewelry box of treasures, that are placed perfectly in its velvet lined holders and are not meant to be touched, only admired.  Freeman shows that Louisa’s life is intentionally devoid of any real excitement.  That peace and calmness are her only desires.  These simple pleasures may seem melancholy to most people.  And Freeman expresses this idea through the reactions of Joe Dagget and the comments of his mother’s indifference to Louisa’s unimportant pastimes.  It is interesting to see that even the animals in Louisa’s life seem affected by the lack of any stimulation by her existence.  It is only when Joe Dagget comes into the scene that the canary begins to fluff his wings and flap around its cage and the dog would come out of his hut to greet him; knowing he offers no food, only attention.   Freeman goes further by comparing Joe to a bear in a china shop, when describing his presence in Louisa’s home.  Freeman’s title seems to ring true that Louisa prefers to live the life like a nun rather than a wife.  A sense of relief is given to Louisa when she admits to Joe her many years of waiting for him had put her in such a way, that she would not be able to make that change.  Joe agrees.  In the end, Louisa keeps intact the smoothness and ease of her delicate life.