A mother’s instinct and intuition are two of the greatest wonders of the world. It is human nature for a mother to want to protect her son or daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter, however, is perhaps more closely knit. It is the most complex relationship two women can share. The mother/daughter relationship reinforces the strength of family ties. Mary Wilkins Freeman’s “Old Woman Magoun” is the story of a woman who wants nothing more than to protect her granddaughter, whom she has raised as her own since shortly after her birth. Freeman portrays Old Woman Magoun as a self-reliant, independent, and courageous woman.
She is distrustful of men and especially critical of the men in Barry’s Ford. However, the very essence of Old Woman Magoun is shattered by the events of her life. Our experiences often have an effect on the people we are. Throughout her life, Old Woman Magoun has had to be strong because she has been unable to count on anyone else. She takes care of her granddaughter Lily all by herself. Each one of Old Woman Magoun’s experiences outlined in the story gives the reader insight into who the real Old Woman Magoun is. Although she masks her feelings and puts on a great front, Old Woman Magoun has very limited power and control over her granddaughter’s fate. However, motivated by the events of the story and the great love she has for Lily, Old Woman Magoun takes extreme actions to protect Lily from the dangers of the world.
Old Woman Magoun loves her granddaughter Lily dearly. There is nothing that she will not do for her. To Old Woman Magoun, it is her duty to protect Lily from all of the evils of the world. She is very cautious of what she allows Lily to do and whom she comes into contact with. Old Woman Magoun’s ever-present and watchful eye causes Lily to live a very sheltered existence. She is forced to remain in a childlike and infantile state. Despite her fourteen years of age, Lily carries a rag doll and acts like a child. She has not been able to run around, play, and live the life of a normal child: “Little Lily had never been allowed to run with the other children of Barry’s Ford. Her grandmother had taught her everything she knew-” (208). Old Woman Magoun is all that Lily has. She is all Lily is allowed to have. Old Woman Magoun needs Lily to need her.
Her overprotective nature stems from problems with her own daughter, Lily’s mother. The bond between a parent and child is sacred. Parents are the givers and protectors of a child’s life. Most parents strive to give their children a better life than the one they had. Old Woman Magoun’s daughter did not live the life that Old Woman Magoun thought she should have had: “[H]er mother had been married at sixteen. That is, Old Woman Magoun said that her daughter, Lily’s mother, had married at sixteen; there had been rumors, but no one had dared openly gainsay the old woman. She said that her daughter had married Nelson Barry, and he had deserted her” (208). Lily’s mother, pregnant and abandoned by the baby’s father, dies soon after Lily’s birth. Old Woman Magoun is determined not to let Lily encounter the same fate as her mother.
Her over protectiveness reveals the guilt that she feels about what happened to her daughter. It is every parent’s desire to shield his or her child from hurt, harm, and danger. She feels that she has failed her daughter and in essence failed as a parent. This undeniable guilt is what is behind her overprotective nature. It essentially causes her to do whatever she has to do to protect Lily. Not love, but guilt and a desire to right the wrongs of the past cause Old Woman Magoun to do whatever she has to do to protect Lily from the dangers she believes she may encounter.
Nelson Barry’s visit is a turning point that poses a threat to the relationship between Old Woman Magoun and Lily. It symbolizes her inability to control every situation in her life. It also illustrates, for Old Woman Magoun, the validity of her distrust of all men. She knows that in her situation, Nelson Barry holds all of the cards. Despite the fact that he has not been there for his daughter, he still has all legal rights to the child. Nelson Barry’s visit and announcement that he wants Lily reveal Old Woman Magoun’s vulnerability. Her love for Lily is her weak spot. Old Woman Magoun tries to argue with Nelson, but in the end, she realizes that it is a losing battle: “(You understand,’ said Barry. ‘Have her ready a week from to-day.’ ‘Yes,’ said Old Woman Magoun, ‘I understand'” (217). Old Woman Magoun is unable to fight the inevitable.
Despite the hard, self-sufficient exterior that she puts on for everyone, Old Woman Magoun is unable to control every aspect of her life; there are some things that are out of her control. This loss of control puts fear into her heart. She is afraid of what will happen to Lily if her father takes her. Old Woman Magoun knows that Nelson Barry only wants Lily so that he can settle a gambling debt. If allowed to go with her father, Lily will be forced into marriage or worse, into concubinage. Old Woman Magoun knows that is this happens, Lily will be forced into an adult world that she is not ready for. Old Woman Magoun cannot let that happen. They have been together for so long. She is not willing to accept that Lily will have to go with Nelson and goes to great lengths to prevent this from happening.
Faced with the real possibility of losing her granddaughter, Old Woman Magoun goes to see a lawyer. She is willing to give Lily away rather than let her father take her. When Lawyer Mason denies her request to adopt Lily, her world is turned upside down. It is the end of life as she knows it. For Old Woman Magoun, her worst fears are confirmed. She has spent the latter part of her life trying to protect Lily from meeting the same fate as her mother. She feels that if Lily goes to live with Nelson Barry, he will marry her off or give her to Willis and her life will be over. In the eyes of Old Woman Magoun, having Lily married at such a young age is the worst thing that could happen to her.
Old Woman Magoun fears that Lily will head down the same path of destruction that her mother did, and once married to Barry’s friend Willis, she fears that Lily will become nothing more than a sexual toy and will eventually meet that same fate as her mother. The trip to the lawyer’s office is her last chance to save Lily. The rejection she gets represents the end of all her hope. It is her last resort and it fails. This rejection reveals her feelings of hopelessness:
When they came to the stone wall where the blackberry-vines and the deadly nightshade grew, Lily said she was tired, and asked if she could not sit down for a few minutes. The strange look on her grandmother’s face had deepened. Now and then Lily glanced at her and had a feeling as if she were looking at a stranger. (220)
The stone wall is symbolic of the invisible wall Old Woman Magoun is up against. She has reached the end of all possibility. Old Woman Magoun tries to hide her feelings. It is rare that Old Woman Magoun accepts defeat. However, at this point, she can no longer hide behind her mask. The reader is left seeing Old Woman Magoun for who and what she really is: afraid, defeated, and uncertain of the future. The thought of losing Lily is more than Old Woman Magoun can bear. In her mind, no fate is worse than having to go with Nelson-not even death.
Old Woman Magoun is a very smart woman. She does not do anything without having a motive. When she allows Lily to eat the poison berries, we see the darker side of her love. We see the side that believes that if she cannot have Lily, then no one will ever have her, especially Nelson Barry. This is the ultimate turning point, the point of no return. Old Woman Magoun knows what is going to happen. She knows what lies ahead of her yet does nothing to stop it:
These berries look like nice berries,” she said.
Old Woman Magoun, standing stiff and straight in the road said nothing.
“They look good to eat,” said Lily.
Old Woman Magoun still standing said nothing, but she looked up into the ineffable blue of the sky, over which spread at intervals great white clouds shaped like wings.
Lily picked some of the deadly nightshade berries and ate them. “Why they are real sweet,” said she. “They are nice.” She picked some more and ate them. (220-21)
Old Woman Magoun sits silently and idly by as Lily eats the poisonous berries. Her actions reveal how clouded her judgment has become as of a result of her love for Lily. She is unwilling to see Lily with Nelson Barry. Although she does not put a gun to Lily’s head, she allows her to do something that she knows will cause her great physical harm and ultimately lead to her death.
It is at this point that the relationship between Old Woman Magoun and Lily reaches its zenith. Old Woman Magoun’s relationship with Lily reaches a climax as she prepares Lily for and ushers her into death. As Lily lies on her deathbed, Old Woman Magoun lets down her guard and is able to express herself as she never has before: “She spoke from the depths of her soul; her voice was as tender as the coo of a dove, and it was grand and exalted” (222). Old Woman Magoun’s love for Lily is manifested in the calming and soothing words she delivers in Lily’s final moments. She tells Lily that she is going to a beautiful place. She describes a calm and peaceful place where she can be free of pain and sickness:
“You will come to a gate with all the colors of the rainbow,” said her grandmother; “and it will open, and you will go right in and walk up the gold street, and cross the field where the blue flowers come up to your knees, until you find your mother, and she will take you home where you are going to live. She has a little white room ready for you, white curtains at the windows, and a little white looking-glass, and when you look in it you will see-”
“What will I see? I am so sick grandma.”
“You will see a face like yours, only it’s an angel’s; and there will be a little white bed, and you can lay down an’ rest.” (223)
Old Woman Magoun comforts Lily as she is crying. It is as if she is making peace with Lily for all of her transgressions. She tries very hard to make Lily’s demise as peaceful and tranquil as possible.
Old Woman Magoun’s actions exemplify how guilt, loss of control, fear, and hopelessness can lead people to do drastic things. Although she loves Lily dearly, in her mind, her love is not enough to save her. Old Woman Magoun’s love is over-powered. Freeman shows that in the male-dominated society in which Old Woman Magoun lives, women are not given many options in life. Even Old Women Magoun, who is unlike any other, falls victim to the rules and regulations of the patriarchal society in which she lives.
Whether or not Old Woman Magoun has done the right thing, Freeman shows that when faced with societal limitations and restrictions, we are sometimes pushed to radical measures. Also, when emotions that are as deep and complex as love come into play, our judgment can be clouded. Whether or not her actions are justified, Old Woman Magoun represents how the love of a mother can force one to do whatever it takes to prevent mistakes from being made and histories from being repeated. In doing so, Old Woman Magoun makes an even greater mistake that has grave consequences.
Reference:
- Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins. “Old Woman Magoun.”; The Oxford Book of American Short Stories. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. 206-224.
