In his short story “The Wife” Washington Irving describes a couple in the face of poverty to demonstrate that overcoming hardships is part of what it means to be an American. Although the basic construct of marriage had not changed between England and America, the roles of each spouse endured a subtle evolution. In the early nineteenth century, England still revolved around wealth and status; because of this rigid propriety, a man was looked down upon by even his closest of friends if he could no longer provide financial stability and his wife would has been cast out of prosperous society because she could no longer uphold her husband’s good name. In America however, there was no traditional aristocratic society. A man was still responsible for the financial well being of his family, however, it was only pride that stood in the way of a man in fiscal crisis. The fear that he and his wife would be abandoned by his friends and what that would do to his wife is what made Leslie keep his secret for so long. However, he underestimates his wife’s ability to prosper in adversity. In England, a woman in this position would have been considered useless; but in America she would be given the opportunity to console her husband and let her comforting nature blossom.
Isn't it interesting that he was so worried about poverty for his wife -- and we find out at the story's conclusion that they are living in a nice little cottage? They are not on the street or the poorhouse. What could this possibly say about American notions of prosperity?
ReplyDelete