Trudell is a freelance writer with a bachelor's degree in English literature. In the following essay, Trudell analyzes the feminism and ironic style in Edwards's short story.

The thematic argument of "The Way It Felt to Be Falling" is best understood as a formula for gaining emotional maturity. And, in its simplest reading, the story seems to achieve this goal in a straightforward manner. Kate escapes potential violence, avoids becoming "crazy," and regains a bond with her mother by emerging from a sense of falling. The story seems to reinforce the basic assumption that the crisis of descent is resolved into a stable and safe space within the home.

Before accepting that shiftless complacency is the goal of the story's subtext, it is important to examine Edwards's imagery surrounding the themes of descent, stability, and control. At first glance, the reader takes for granted the cliché...