Feminism in American Short Stories “Editha,” by William Dean Howells and “The Revolt of Mother,” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, present essentially the same type of character in two very distinct manners. Howells depicts Editha as a selfish and spoiled lady, while Freeman describes mother as a strong-willed person who simply does things when they need to be done. Howells gives the reader the impression that Editha is a very harsh and abrupt woman who …showed first 75 words of 499 total…

…showed last 75 words of 499 total…be said that both women are headstrong because they don’t give up until they are satisfied with the situation. These two stories show the similarities and differences between the way women are depicted by men and women. Howells thinks that women are harsh, selfish, and manipulative because that is the way he makes Editha act. By making Mother a kind, gentle, but firm woman, Freeman is trying to show that women aren’t “evil.”