A Sorrowful Woman

In an interview included in the 1996 edition of Dream Children, Godwin reveals that the editor at Esquire only agreed to publish “A Sorrowful Woman” if she deleted scenes of the woman’s dreams. Based on evidence from the text, what are some possibilities of the woman’s dreams? How might these dreams have affected the broader story and its themes?

The mother feels an antagonism toward her son that is a mixture of fear and revulsion. How is the woman’s fear of patriarchal dominance projected onto the son? Would she feel and behave differently if her child was a daughter?

Describe the relationship between the woman and the girl. Consider each character’s perspective and analyze how they would interpret each other’s behavior.