Analysis of A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin Gail Godwin's short story "A Sorrowful Woman" revolves around a wife and mother who is overwhelmed by her husband and son and he withdraws from them, gradually closing himself off completely eliminating them from his life. Unsatisfied with her role as a dutiful mother and wife, she tries other roles, but finds that none of them satisfy her. She is used to a specific role and has difficulty coping when presented with a wider range of choices. This is made clear in this section of the story. As a housewife and mother, Godwin's protagonist leads a fairly structured life. Her activities are mostly limited to caring for her husband and son and taking care of their home. Although she is obviously dissatisfied with this, as evidenced by her attempts to abandon this role, she does not feel comfortable without such structure. Even when she moved to the white room, she develops the habit of washing her hair in the sun every day. When she decides to write a poem, she abandons the project once she realizes how many options are open to her; the idea of ​​so much freedom seems to distress her. Even when he thinks that "his poem could be six, eight, ten, thirteen lines, it could be any number of lines, and it doesn't even have to rhyme," the words themselves are rushed, the rhythm of the sentence the communicates nervousness and discomfort. Her dissatisfaction with her role in life also leads Godwin's protagonist to try other roles. Although she tries many, none of them seem to satisfy her; she "tried on these personalities with similar costumes, then discarded them." Her inability to find a role that actually satisfies her likely contributes to her overall sense of helplessness and continued isolation from her family and, indeed, the rest of the world. Since she cannot find a particular role that suits her, she tries not to have any role; the coldness and isolation of the white, undecorated room makes it seem as if she is trying to empty herself of her previous life. His withdrawal from the world is also presented in this passage. He chooses to move into the white room, no longer decorated by the previous inhabitant. White can be a very cold and sterile color and serves to illustrate his lack of attachment to the room or home.