Blog # 3 "The Wife"

In Irving's short story the wife, he personifies women as being the stronger part of the marriage and the support to the man. In his time it was the man's responsibility to provide an income for the family while the wife was to maintain the house and family schedule. George seems to have a falling out of wealth and believes that this will tarnish the couples marriage and possibly lead to her leaving him. What his friend tries to make him see is that marriage is not about material needs but the love that 2 people share for each other. The friend also says that he will see a compassionate and sympathetic side to his wife that he has never seen before, and this hardship will make them become even deeper in love. Even till this day Americans value marriage as a right of passage and something that is necessary. It is an ever present support system that only gets stronger in the face of adversity.