A New England Nun

A New England Nun Summary | Detailed Summary

"A New England Nun" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, starts with Louisa Ellis finishing her sewing, which she did all that afternoon. Louisa goes out to her garden to pick currants for her tea. She serves herself a small supper on her china and gives her dog some corn cakes. After washing dishes, she returns to sewing. When Joe Dagget, her fiancé, comes to visit shortly after, there is awkward behavior. Joe Dagget is loud and clumsy, and he appears not to fit into Louisa's dainty home environment. They are both aware of bothered by the awkwardness. Their discussion consisted of the day, work, Joe's mother, and a girl named Lily Dyer who is helping his mother at home. Joe blushes twice at the mention of Lily's name. Joe's nervousness is apparent as he fiddles with two of Louisa's books on the table. She is bothered by the way he places them, and she changes them back to their correct placement. When he wonders why she cares how the books are placed, she says that she always keeps them that way. Joe Dagget's clumsiness continues as he is leaving. He trips over a rug and hits Louisa's workbasket on the table, knocking it down. He tries to make an effort to pick the things up, but she tells him not to bother because she would do it after he leaves, which she does. She also inspects the floor for dirt. She cleans the dirt trail that he brought in. Still, he faithfully comes to see her twice a week.

The couple plans to marry the following month. A reason there is tension between Louisa and Joe is that they had not seen each other for fourteen of the fifteen years of their engagement. Joe was in Australia making his fortune for fourteen of the years. After he made his fortune, he returned to see Louisa without telling her of his arrival. Even though she was expecting him to arrive one day, she was still surprised to see him. During their time apart Louisa had changed and she became set in her own ways. She became independent. Her parents, died and she developed routines that comforted her. She never thought of marrying anyone other than Joe, though she never missed him in his absence. She felt at peace with her life. For her, marriage to Joe would be the expected thing to do. In a way, she almost hopes the marriage will not happen. Joe Dagget also changed. He saw in Louisa the same beautiful girl he left, but the love he had felt before was felt now for another. While Joe still has some admiration for Louisa, she had absolutely none for him.

Next, Louisa imagines all of her possessions in Joe's house, where they expect to live once they are married. She does not like the thought of that or her lost freedom. She assumes that Joe and his mother will think all of the things in which she takes great pleasure as foolish and senseless. Louisa loves order and cleanliness. She is upset at the thought of his masculine and dirty possessions mixing with hers. She also has scary visions of Joe letting her dog Caesar loose after fourteen years because the dog once bit and injured a neighbor. Joe thinks it is cruel to keep the dog locked up, but Louisa knows of his ferocity, though he is gentle with her. Even after having these thoughts, a week before the wedding, she continues to sew her wedding clothes.

Louisa decides to take a walk that night. In the midst of harvest fields, she sits down on a low stone wall feeling sad about her situation. She hears footsteps and voices nearby. She sits still hoping the people would pass on by without noticing her. Though the people actually sit don on the same stonewall as she is seated upon, they do not seem to notice her. Louisa remains very still as she hears Joe and Lily Dyer's voices. Louisa hears them talk about not being sorry that the night before they revealed their true feelings for one another. Joe says he will not turn away from Louisa because he has honor and will not hurt her. He explains that he made a promise to Louisa and he has every intention to keep it. Lily says she is leaving town and will not fret over him while he is married. Louisa is in a daze, but she is also a little bit relieved. Louisa has witnessed Joe's true feelings, giving her the courage to break their engagement the following day, knowing it will not hurt him and she will not be betraying herself.

"She felt like a queen" the next morning after regaining control of her domain and the rest of her life. The end of the story describes Louisa as perfectly satisfied and thankful. While she sits at her window doing needlework, she joyfully listens to the sounds of life outside. Louisa is compared to an uncloistered nun because she is "prayerfully numbering her days." She looks forward to the predictability of her days alone as though it were her birthright.