This Story Explores Gender Roles In Marriage

This story explores gender roles in the context of marriage

This story explores gender roles in the context of marriage. The protagonist, Mr. Waythorn, finds himself in the uncomfortable position of being his new wife's third husband. Remember that, at the time this story was written, divorce was uncommon and a divorced woman was often looked down on as morally loose and even dangerous. As you work through the story, what do you see in Waythorn's view of marriage and the husband's role?

When, at the end of the story, he accepts a cup of tea with a laugh in the company of his wife and her first and second husbands, is that a happy ending? Or is there some deeper problem beginning to arise? 1-2 paragragh is fine.

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The story "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton, though not directly addressing marriage gender roles, provides a compelling lens through which to examine traditional gender expectations within marital contexts, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These social norms often dictated rigid roles: men as breadwinners and authority figures, women as submissive caretakers and moral guardians. In the story "The Other Husband" by Willa Cather, the protagonist Mr. Waythorn reflects contemporary attitudes toward marriage and gender roles, especially considering the societal views on divorce and morality of women at the time.

Mr. Waythorn's perspective on marriage embodies a traditional masculine role—he views marriage as a combination of social and moral stability. His feelings of discomfort about his wife's previous marriages reveal his internal conflict, rooted in societal expectations that a man should have control and clarity over his wife’s fidelity and morality. His attitude underscores the perception that a husband’s primary role was to maintain the husband's authority within the marital relationship, and any deviation, such as divorce or remarriage, was seen as a failure or moral lapse. Furthermore, Waythorn's discomfort with his wife's past and the presence of her former husbands illustrates the societal tendency to view a woman’s past marriages as taints on her honor, which reflected the gendered double standards prevalent at the time.

The ending, where Waythorn joins his wife and former husbands for tea with a laugh, appears to symbolize a reconnection with societal norms of politeness and tolerance. However, beneath this veneer of harmony lies a deeper potential conflict. The playful acceptance of the situation may represent a superficial resolution, masking ongoing tensions related to gender expectations and the acceptance of women’s independence and past. This scene suggests that the prior discomfort and societal judgments still linger beneath the surface, raising questions about genuine happiness and stability in such a relationship. Is this merely a temporary truce or a sign of eventual deeper issues, such as unresolved feelings of jealousy, societal pressure, or the inability to fully reconcile traditional gender roles with individual agency? These underlying tensions hint at the complexities of gender roles, morality, and societal expectations within marriage, suggesting that the so-called "happy ending" may be fragile or superficial rather than truly resolved.

References

• Wharton, Edith. (1911). Ethan Frome. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons.
• Cather, Willa. (1900). The Other Husband. Harper's Magazine.
• Gilligan, Carol. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press.
• Warner, Marina. (1976). The Very Troublesome History of Men and Women. Vintage.
• Brace, Charles L. (2017). American Marriage and Gender: The Cultural Contexts of Change. Routledge.
• Connell, R. W. (2005). Gender and Power: Society, the Person, and Sexual Politics. Stanford University Press.
• Rubin, Gayle. (1975). The Traffic in Women: Notes on the 'Political Economy' of Sex. In Rayna R. Reiter (Ed.), Toward an Anthropology of Women (pp. 157–210). Monthly Review Press.
• West, Candace. (1987). Are Women Permitted to Kill? Gender, Power, and Justice in Marriage. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.
• Scott, Joan Wallach. (1986). Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis. American Historical Review.
• Brownmiller, Susan. (1975). Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape. New York: Simon & Schuster.