The Little Room

"The Little Room" by Madeline Yale Wynne left me with a sense of intrigue. I felt like this short story is an extended metaphor of how a woman should behave versus what a woman truly desires –– the small china closet contains the materials needed for a woman to serve her family and entertain her guests, such as plates and cups, whereas the little room described by the newly wedded Mrs. Grant (and her mother before she passed) symbolizes a room of comfort where a woman could relax, take her time to enjoy the little things, and be her own self. Marriage could be tied into the constant change between the china closet and the little room; both the mother and the protagonist did not see the china closet until they were married (when the time to take care of family and entertain guests was expected). However, what could be said of Aunt Hannah and Aunt Maria? The two aunts never married, but they never had a response as to what the little room or china closet had been. Their only response was that the house had never been altered... The short story starts out in dialogue between Mrs. Grant and Mr. Grant, which I feel helps add a sense of intimacy. One part that has me confused is what the protagonist's mother meant when she said, "your father knows now all about the little room" (126). Does this imply that her father knew the "truth" after having died in war? What exactly was the mother's message?