Madsen Hardy has a doctorate in English literature and is a freelance writer and editor. In the following essay, she discusses Anderson's ideas about what is commonplace and what is beautiful as expressed in "Death in the Woods."

"Death in the Woods" opens with a description of its central character, the old woman, as a familiar type that anyone from a small town would recognize. She is a common and simple woman who lives on the outskirts of town, coming there only occasionally to beg and barter for a few supplies.

The narrator initially characterizes Mrs. Grimes as "nothing special." She is not known personally to anyone in the community, and, being such a familiar figure, she is easy to ignore. "People drive right down a road and never notice a woman like that."

Having emphasized her anonymity, the narrator then goes on to tell and retell...