Date: 15/02/10 Title: The Geranium Text type: Short story Author: Patricia Grace This short story, 'The Geranium', by Patricia Grace and published 1993, is a perfect example of Battered woman syndrome and the mental effects it has on a person in this case Marney. In the geranium, the main character, Marney is a stay at home mother. She cleans intensely all day and seems rather dull. She does not leave the house even when one of the girls tells her to "come for a stretch." You know she is hesitant and you can feel that there is something stopping her from leaving. There seems to be a routine of non-stop cleaning, because when her friends, Sandra and Joe, come over this doesn't stop her from making sure things are clean, she even …show more content…

She has been so controlled by Bob that she can no longer even think for herself. She has ‘Battered Woman Syndrome’ and is completely under his control that she can not even reach out for help. These effects of her abuse show us how badly the aftermath of abuse affect someone just as bad as the abuse itself.
The thing that I didn’t enjoy about this story is the style of writing. It is written in a boring way to emphasis the way Marney’s life is, and although it serves the purpose it left me feeling uninterested. What I did like the storyline. The way in which the conflict developed. I liked the way it starts off with what seems like Marney going about a normal day and then it turns into a day that that brings forth all her abuse and problems. Mainly starting with the arrival of her friends. These developments give us a great insight into a day in the life of Marney. And it is not a pretty