When Men Wish Their Wives Were a Way
A review of the article: “When the Wife is a way” Man, February 1953 by Rannan James
This article was written by Rannan James in 1953. The main focus of this article is the intrigues surrounding marriage relationships and experiences which men go through in such contexts. The author argues that although a number of men would love to be with a wife, and that many think that marriage is a bed of roses, it is not usually so in many situations. According to this author, things may look different when a couple is dating or during their first days of marriage whey love to keep company of one another. However, things begin changing when the couple become used to one another. It is in this marriage, he notes when the man begins realizing that he is no longer independent as he is bound by certain rules and wishes of his wife. Theses alongside other responsibilities associated with manhood makes the man long for the time he was alone and independent. Despite being married, the man comes to realize that it may not be possible to always keep company with his wife as earlier envisioned since there are circumstances which can keep them a part for some time. Therefore, a man must be ready to go back to his bachelorhood kind of life, irrespective of whether he has been married or not.
Rannan’s audience are men, especially those who are about to marry. He claims that when people are single, they aspire for a day when they abandon singlehood and attain a permanent companion in the form of a wife. However, the author reveals that this may not always be so and at times, men wish that they be left alone, and they live an independent life. Nonetheless, he also notes that not all types of men do boyish things like partying, going after other women et cetera when they are left alone, though they are very few. The author stresses that a time of separation is not only imperative but necessary for a couple to refresh and renew themselves for their own benefits.
This article is written in a time when women were relegated with the role of housekeepers whole men were the bread winners. Since that period up today, things have dramatically changed and doing house chores including cooking is no longer the preserve of women. The culture in which the article is written is clearly where women are considered homemakers and housewives and incase they missed from home for some time, then things could turn into disarray. On the other hand, those who engaged themselves in such activities were as the author informs us, “forcing themselves” on them and were waiting for a time when their wives would return home to continue with such chores. In other words, in this culture, women were the main housekeepers.
This period was also depicted with partying, merrymaking, and even prostitution. Since the economic situation at this time was favorable, many people, in this case, men, could afford to go out with their friends and have merry, while others seek the services of prostitutes. The taxi business was also on its initial states and hence the business was gaining popularity.
Therefore, in this article, we learn a lot concerning about the culture of the people in the context including obligations of men and women in the family, their behavior, and common infrastructure that were gaining ground at that time. For instance, there were taxi business, and train as a means of transportation.
