This is a literary analysis for the short story “The Bath”, by Janet Frame. I hope it’s useful!
Plot analysis
This story is about the life of an elderly woman seventeen years after her husband’s death. It starts when she visits his grave on a Friday afternoon. After she returns home, she prepares everything she needs to take a bath. The story complicates when she cannot get out because of her lack of strength and the pain it causes her to move. After this, she visits the cemetery again, and we get to know how her life is becoming more and more difficult because of her age. Finally, the story ends when she is waiting at the bus stop. Here, she starts thinking of her husband’s grave, and how she would like to join him in the cemetery.
Time Setting
The time setting is the 20th century, sometime after the invention of the radio, but probably before modern heating appliances became popular. This is evidenced because she used a coal stove to keep her house warm, and listened to the news on the “red radio”.
Place setting
The general place setting is a town called Dunedin. The specific time setting is the bathroom of the woman’s house and the cemetery by the sea.
The elderly woman’s house is cold. It has a living room where there is a fireplace, a kitchen, a bathroom, and probably a bedroom. The bathtub seems to be old because of its yellowish colour. Apart from this, the house does not seem very modern. On the contrary, it is described as modest and worn out.
Conflict
The conflict of the story is that the old woman is fighting against her increasing difficulties going about her day. Because of her age, it is really difficult and painful for her to perform daily activities, such as taking a bath or catching the bus.
Point of view
The POV is third-person omniscient. We get to know what the woman feels and thinks, as well as her difficulties.
Ending analysis
The story has an open ending because the woman continues fighting against her body, and the pain it causes her to perform certain activities.
Character classification
| Type of character | Main | Minor |
| Round | The elderly woman | Her husband John |
| Flat | – | – |
The elderly woman
The elderly woman is a thoughtful, perseverant person. She prepares mentally for her bath, telling herself she will be able to get out when the time comes. Even though it is very painful for her, she struggles to climb out of the bathtub until she is able to do it. She overcomes the physical difficulties, such as the pain in her arms, as well as the psychological ones, like her desire to wait until death comes to take her away. At the same time, she feels helpless and disappointed. She has no wish of staying alive if her body fails her and her husband isn’t there to help her.
I hope you found this literary analysis of The Bath useful. Here you can read others I wrote!
