Mayhew is a freelance writer. In this essay, Mayhew examines the way Gilman slowly draws the reader into her short story.

In the short story "Three Thanksgivings," Gilman carefully sets up the story so that the reader is slowly introduced to the idea that a woman can thrive without the standard husband-wife-child model of domestic bliss. At the time this story was written, Gilman's ideas on what woman's role in the world should be were radical. If she had used a less subtle approach in writing her story, she might have alienated her contemporary readers immediately. Instead, Gilman very cleverly enlists the reader's sympathy and draws the reader in slowly to her way of thinking. Rather than focusing on lengthy passages introducing each character, she painstakingly exposes her characters to the reader through their actions and words.

The main character, Mrs. Delia Morrison, is a widow. To...