When a woman is widowed, she automatically becomes a member of a community of isolated women who lack social status, economic power, and visibility in literature and the mass media. Literature by and about widows indicates four major reasons for this situation: there is no general recognition of the distinctive problems widows must face; except in a few large urban centers, widows lack access to social agencies, clubs, and therapy groups that can provide counsel or collective power and identity; the widow has been negatively or unrealistically stereotyped in literature and in the mass media; widow memoirs are few in number, are largely ignored, since they are by nature "unliterary," and themselves confirm stereotypical responses to widowhood. English teachers should accept a measure of responsibility for helping widows attain positive visibility, by helping to minimize negative connotations associated with the word "widow" and by including the widow in discussions of literature and in discussions of marriage and family relationships. (GW)
