What is the general theme of this short story?

"The Revolt of Mother" is a celebration of a woman's strength in a patriarchal society. Sarah Penn has worked as hard as any woman in New England, and she has played by the rules. She has dutifully cooked and cleaned and raised her children without complaining, even though her husband, Adoniram, has broken his promise to her for 39 years. When they married 40 years prior to the time of the story, Adoniram promised to...

"The Revolt of Mother" is a celebration of a woman's strength in a patriarchal society. Sarah Penn has worked as hard as any woman in New England, and she has played by the rules. She has dutifully cooked and cleaned and raised her children without complaining, even though her husband, Adoniram, has broken his promise to her for 39 years. When they married 40 years prior to the time of the story, Adoniram promised to build Sarah "a new house ... in that lot over in the field before the year was out." Since then Adoniram has built outbuildings for the farm, but his own family has lived in cramped quarters. At last Sarah has had enough; her motivation is her daughter's upcoming wedding. She can't bear to think of Nanny getting married in their tiny living room. 

Even though she has reached the end of her rope and her husband remains infuriatingly taciturn, Sarah continues to make him his favorite meals and pies. She never fails in her duty to hold up her end of their marital division of labor. But when Adoniram gets called away providentially, Sarah performs a feat that "was equal in its way to Wolfe's storming of the Heights of Abraham." Like the brave British general, she audaciously plans and executes a campaign to conquer the land. Yet Sarah's motives, actions, and words remain pure and undefiled. She wins the battle for her daughter's sake, and in doing so sets an example for Nanny, silences the meddling minister, and overcomes the injustice her husband has dealt her. 

The story shows that women's battle against patriarchal society can be won by strong, courageous women without sacrificing the nobility and virtue that their gender has historically valued.