Three Lives was written in 1905/06 and published in 1909 at the author's expense. The work consists of three independent novellas: The Good Anna, Melanctha, and The Gentle Lena. Each of the titular characters lives in Bridgepoint, a fictional town based on Baltimore.
The Good Anna explores the life of strong-willed Anna Federner, a woman of "solid lower middle-class south German stock." The story follows the relationships Anna develops with the women in the households in which she works as a servant, and explores in particular the theme of bonding between women.
Melanctha is an unconventional novella in which Stein explores what it is to seek meaning and fulfillment amidst the complexities and challenges of life. Melanctha, the daughter of a black father and a mixed-race mother, is unsatisfied with her life in segregated Bridgepoint. She launches into a passionate search for knowledge and power, within complicated cross-currents of race, sex and gender.
The Gentle Lena recounts the life of Lena, who (like Anna in the first story) is an immigrant from Germany, now living in Bridgepoint. Lena is also a servant, but ends up marrying Herman Kreder, at the behest of the elders in their lives. In contrast to Anna Federner, who is willful and determined, Lena's life is marked by a consistent passivity, which Stein explores throughout the narrative.
The three lives presented by Stein are compelling, and reflect the author's philosophical and literary values. Her use of repetition is particularly pronounced in both Melanctha and The Good Lena.
