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Reading Guide |
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Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, "The Angel over the Right Shoulder," 1852
Introducing this short story about a northern urban woman is the following exchange:
| | --Husband: "Don't you wish you had never been married?" |
| | --Wife, after suppressing a "yes" response: "I should like the good, without the evil, if I could have it." |
From this evolves an experiment in which the wife strives to create a life more fulfilling than merely keeping her "house and family in order." After her experiment fails, she has a dream in which the worth of her role as a wife and mother is revealed to her. Phelps, a well-known author of the time who addressed social issues, leads her story to a conclusion that is quintessentially nineteenth-century . . . or is it? Worthwhile to compare with Gilman's "The Planter's Bride." Appropriate for classroom use. 6 pages.
Discussion questions
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How does Mrs. James define a "fulfilling life" before and after her dream? |
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Who is the judge of a woman's success or failure in fulfilling her role? Who or what bestows dignity on her daily duties? |
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Is Mrs. James reassured or distressed by the message of her dream? |
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How would Fanny Fern or Elizabeth Cady Stanton respond to this story? |
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Refer to the discussion questions for Gilman's "The Planter's Bride" to compare these two pieces.
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Reading highlights
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Note the change in tone in the sections before and after the dream. Why does irony disappear?
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Topic Framing Questions
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How did women of this period define themselves? What stories did they choose to tell? |
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In what ways did these women exercise—and define—power and influence? |
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How did the “cult of domesticity” shape the debate over woman’s place in antebellum American society? |
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In what ways did this debate reflect the prevailing tensions of race, class, region, and religion in American society?
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Toolbox Library: Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature
National Humanities Center
Web site comments and questions, contact: nhc_ed@nationalhumanitiescenter.org
Copyright © 2002 National Humanities Center. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 2002
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