"The Hermit and the Wild Woman, and Other Stories" by Edith Wharton is a collection of short stories from the early 1900s that explores themes of being alone, beliefs, and when holy things meet everyday life. The first story tells of a hermit who wants to find peace away from the troubles of his past, but he finds a wild woman who upsets his calm life and makes him rethink what he believes about being saved and sinning. The story starts with the hermit, who lives in a cave to get away from the violence he knew as a kid, always remembering the awful things that happened. He likes being alone, praying, and enjoying the quiet. But his peace is broken when a wild woman runs into his cave to hide from dangerous people chasing her. As they talk, he learns about her difficult life, and he struggles with what he believes and how he feels for her, leading to a story full of tough choices and deep changes in the characters.
The Hermit and the Wild Woman, and Other Stories
By Edith Wharton
In a time of solitude and reflection, an unlikely encounter between a holy man and a woman on the run ignites a battle between faith and compassion.
Summary
About the AuthorEdith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1996. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
Edith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1996. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
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