Literature

EH223

Dr. Temple

Essay #2

For essay two, you may write on one of the following themes. Please use Times New Roman 12pt 

font, and do not include a separate title page. Instead, simply include the following in the upper left 

hand corner of the first page: your name, my name, the course number, and the date on separate lines, 

double-spacing between the lines. Double-space again and center the 

title

of your essay. Do not 

underline or italicize your title, and 

number

your pages. Your essays should be approximately 3-4 

pages long (double spaced) and they are due to Canvas by midnight on Thursday, 12/13. 

What does E.D.E.N. Southworth’s “The Wife’s Victory” tell us about women’s experience in pre-

Civil War America? On the surface, “The Wife’s Victory” would seem to offer a bleak formula for 

women’s success. But does the story also critique any elements of how women were encouraged to 

behave in early America?