The Undying Spirit

– Images Of Essay, Research Paper

The wives of Images of Women in Literature have the common thread of a resilient independent spirit often despite any outward show of anything but obedience and humility. This spirit at times helps to sustain them while at other times only makes the compromises that their husbands and society place on them even harder to bear. Indeed, they would be happier not realizing that there are other choices and opportunities. It is often the conflict between their spirits and the circumstances of their lives that causes the greatest problems to them. It is truly amazing that this spirit survives!

It is not that unlikely for Mrs. James in Elizabeth Phelps’ “The Angel over the Right Shoulder” to cultivate independence with an indulgent husband like Mr. James. Her spirit of independence is out in the open with her quest for some private time to improve her mind. The fact is that however willing Mr. James is to indulge her with some time to herself, he offers little in way of any practical help, much like the man of today. She suggests he “just follow me around for one day” when he dismisses all the work she does by telling her, “if you arranged your work systematically, you would find that you could command your time” (29-30). Instead of taking her suggestion, or better yet taking over the work himself, he meditates on the problem while she finishes the chore of trimming the lamp. He sets the terms of her private time and says, “let the work that is undone, go undone,” but without even thinking interrupts her when he needs a button sewn on (30).

While “The Angel Over the Right Shoulder” ends on New Year’s Eve with Mrs. James happily giving up her independence and “undefined yearning,” one is left with the impression her emotion will pass as quickly as the average New Year’s resolution and her quest for freedom will return (36). Most of the wives of Images of Women in Literature have to live with those whose needs take precedent over anything the wife may desire. Unfortunately they aren’t always selfishly oppressive in Mr. James’ more kindly, unthinking manner.

The wife of Jane Augustine’s “Secretive” has a much more difficult atmosphere in which any spirit could survive. She still tries to be the understanding wife that society dictates while living with a husband who abuses her both physically and emotionally. She continues to examine herself hoping to find the faults she believes her husband must see, and thus correct them. Above all, she must keep the secret of his abuse. In her self-scrutiny, she discovers that “she’s full of senseless anger” and feels that “her feelings aren’t right” (73). The conflict between being a good accepting wife and her inner spirit filled with anger and rebellion is threatening her sanity. It leads her to imagine a sympathetic listener whom she confides in and receives advice. She says, “They’d say I was crazy if they saw me like this in my kitchen talking to yes, myself” (72-73). Her spirit still will not die even when this wife continues to refuse to acknowledge her spirit and blame her husband. It lives and is symbolized by the importance she places on finding just the right lining for the coat she’s sewing. She says, “And the lining must be a contrast to the outside of the coat, which is . . . the color of rubbed flesh with knobs of scarlet,” like her outward appearance after a beating (73). But of the lining she insists, “Now, the inside will be a bright green, bright as a parrot’s wing . . . but will give only when give is needed” (73). Her spirit soars free, like a bird, from her husband’s abuse although her body remains.

In “Aunt Rosana’s Rocker” Zoraida, with her phantom lover, is also walking along the edge of insanity (Mohr, 40). She seems to have a conflict with her physical sexuality and what she perceives is being a good girl. Her conflict may not be just between her spirit and her husband, but could to be further complicated by her religious upbringing. Her parents seem to set great store by the fact she attended Catholic schools and was “an innocent girl, pure as the day she was born . . . protected and brought up right by us” (Mohr, 50).

Zoraida’s husband Casto is boorish and quite self-centered. One cannot help but wonder if Zoraida would have come into her own with the help of a sensitive, caring man. Zoraida certainly does not get help from Casto who thinks of her in the traditional manner – a servant for him and mother of his children. Yet he is not the only cause of her problems, but is an additional burden. She appears to have had no sense of self worth, and have had problems all her life. “Ever since she could remember, any discussions created feelings of constraint, developing into such anxiety that when she spoke, her voice had a tendency to fade” (45). Her lack of self-worth dictates she live a life in which she tries to deny her inner feelings, but they will not be denied. The symptoms of this denial of spirit and self are her imaginary nighttime lover and her trance-like dreaming of romance while she rocks.

Like the other wives in this section of Images of Women in Literature, Zoraida has a strong sense of duty, and even her husband can’t fault her in any area other than not granting him the privileges of the martial bed. Casto says, “Zoraida remained a wonderful housekeeper and devoted mother” (42). Even as Zoraida denies her independent spir