The poem “The Wife” shares a similar theme with the “Story of An Hour” as it relates to two wives. One is brand new, prepping herself for the duties of being a good wife and the other has just lost her husband and is processing his death. The excerpt from the poem that stands out the most is the last section:
“It lay unmentioned, as the sea
Develops pearl and weed,
But only to himself is known
The fathoms they abide.”
This mainly relates to the short story “Story of An Hour” as they widow is left in complete shock but after grieving feels free. She is almost ashamed to feel this way and gets choked up from admitting it. The relief the widow feels being released from her marriage is the weed and the love and happiness from the same marriage being the pearls. The new wife openly expresses throughout the entire poem how she is to lay down her life of fun and uplift the responsibilities of being a wife.
One thought on “Julia Longboat Week 9 Discussion”
Julia, this is beautifully put. I agree that the lines you have selected are the most powerful in the poem. They speak to the silence of both women in the works of literature. As you note, Mrs. Mallard is shocked by her own feelings of liberation and freedom when she learns that her husband is dead. She tries to ward off the feeling until it overwhelms her. Both women cannot give voice to the repression they feel in their lives as wives.