The narrator’s tone undergoes a significant shift from awkward, sad formality to excitement about female empowerment. The third-person omniscient narrator is never very sympathetic to the McPherson children, instead reserving their sympathy for the story’s titular widow. The narrative begins formally, which aligns with the solemnity of a funeral setting and the discomfort the children feel with one another. James, Ellen, and Adelaide are not close as adults. Their relationship with each other is strained. In addition, they are not happy to be back at the site of their harsh treatment by their unpleasant father. The narrator is sarcastic and biting as they describe the insincere way these three people express how much they “want" to take care of their mother now that she is alone.
As events unfold, the tone shifts to one of surprise and dismay. The children's alleged preparedness to handle their mother’s affairs is turned on its head by her revelations. She does not need them, she does not plan to be a burden, and she won’t be talked out of her plans to travel. The narrator’s voice takes on a tone of triumph as Mrs. McPherson sweeps aside the confinement she felt as a wife and mother. The story’s tone concludes on a note of real empowerment, as the widow kindly but firmly declines all of her children’s half-baked attempts to take her in and tells them what she wants instead. Her decisive actions and clear statements about her intentions convey a strong sense of self-sufficiency. Indeed, the tone at the end of the novel makes it clear that she is the most self-sufficient character by far, having run the ranch as a private hospital for many years. Gilman’s narrator celebrates her resourcefulness and relishes the children’s unease.
