[ SECRET POST #2862 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2862 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 042 secrets from Secret Submission Post #409.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - random textless image ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Was that really the moral of her story though? Granted, it's been a while, but I recall that the only one who thought Meg had to be a perfect housewife was Meg HERSELF. Her mother and husband would often try and tell her that such a thing was impossible, and the moral of her story was her learning this for herself.

[(Anonymous)]

Eh, not really. Neither Marmee nor John tells Meg her ideal is impossible. This is what Meg has as her ideal of how married life should be:

Now, in the first flush of the new life, she had often said, "My husband shall always feel free to bring a friend home whenever he likes. I shall always be prepared. There shall be no flurry, no scolding, no discomfort, but a neat house, a cheerful wife, and a good dinner. John, dear, never stop to ask my leave, invite whom you please, and be sure of a welcome from me."

A little unrealistic, I agree, which is why things go so badly wrong when Meg has a disaster with her jelly-making AND her husband brings home a surprise guest without warning. Now, sensible people ought to know that surprise dinner guests aren't really a good idea, and at NO point does John realize this himself. Why would he? He's not the one who does the cleaning and cooking, so he somewhat naively takes Meg's word for it. We can take the moral of that story from how it resolves: Meg makes the first move to apologize, and then has her husband's friend over for that delightful perfect dinner served by a perfect pretty wife, meeting the ideal she set out to do in the first place. There is no adjustment for reality, the only exception is that Meg invites the guest, so he's not unexpected.


The chapter ends with Meg having babies, "the deepest and tenderest of a woman's life". We pick up their domestic life again ten chapters later, when Meg's twins are 1 year old and she's worn out, no longer dressing prettily, and (surprise!) most of her life is kid-focused. John feels neglected, so he starts spending more and more time at a friend's house, where it's noted his friend's wife is "a lively, pretty girl, with nothing to do but be agreeable". And the advice Marmee gives her? DON'T NEGLECT YOUR HUSBAND.

"You have only made the mistake that most young wives make—forgotten your duty to your husband in your love for your children. A very natural and forgivable mistake, Meg, but one that had better be remedied before you take to different ways, for children should draw you nearer than ever, not separate you, as if they were all yours, and John had nothing to do but support them. I've seen it for some weeks, but have not spoken, feeling sure it would come right in time."

Yes, despite the fact that she's got twin 1 year old children, Meg's still supposed to make the home "pleasant" so that her husband isn't tempted to ditch her and the crying babies. Meg takes the advice to heart, so she sets up an evening where she puts the kids to bed early, cleans up the parlour, "dressed herself prettily" and plays happy wife for her husband.

Now, there are good parts to this chapter. John takes on a more active role in childcare of the twins, and Marmee is right to suggest that part of being a good mother isn't to lose yourself in devotion to the children. Marmee and Meg come to the realization that Meg needs help caring for the twins, which is sort of a "duh" moment, if you ask me. But how does it end? That's right: pretty, well-dressed Meg in the parlour, faking an interest in politics to please her husband and the chapter ends with the lesson Meg learns: "... that a woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor the art of ruling it not as a queen, but as a wise wife and mother."

The perfect housewife, in other words.