Mrs. Hall in "Fanny Fern"

            I found the topic of Mrs. Hall to be interesting in class. As a woman in the 1890’s she holds no power over herself (she belongs to her husband), cannot own any property and is completely dependent on her husband to provide for her. She is treated as a second-class citizen as her ideas are dismissed simply because she is a woman. That being said, she seems desperate for any sense of power and control in her life and has her sights set on fulfilling this through her relationship with her daughter-in-law, Ruth. As the mother of Harry, Mrs. Hall is able to have a certain level of influence and seems to believe that Ruth will steal this precious commodity from her. When we are first introduced to Mrs. Hall she is waiting for the newlyweds and states, “As to Ruth, I don’t know anything about her. Of course she is perfect in his eyes. I remember the time when he used to think me perfect” (10). She immediately is competing with her daughter-in-law for the affections of her son. Mrs. Hall often presents her ideals under the guise of being a pious and sensible woman, but this also seems transparent to me that her motivation is again control and power. After the death of her son and Ruth’s initial refusal to give up custody of her daughters, Mrs. Hall makes it her mission to take them from her. In addition, it’s only after criticism from members of her church that she decides to even help Ruth. Mrs. Hall suggests to her husband that they provide a small fund to Ruth for a limited time so that they “will look better” (82). While all of these schemes and issues are vile attacks on a seemingly good natured person, it can’t help me think about how sad and lonely it must have been to be a woman during this time in American history.

Fern, Fanny. Ruth Hall. New York: Penguin Group, 1997. Print.