The Wife By Emily Dickinson

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While the impact that popular culture has on perpetuating systems of privilege and inequality for gender is evident, it is necessary to not undermine the importance of literature in perpetuating these systems as well. Shaw and Lee’s Chapter 9 on Women Confronting and Creating Culture discusses the increased importance of popular culture in creating and reinforcing dominant systems in terms of gender, but also recognizes how literature and the arts also reflect and reinforce gender-dominant systems. Emily Dickinson’s poem, “The Wife” nicely connects to this theme as it demonstrates how the institution of marriage perpetuates systems of privilege and inequality for women. By observing the language and strategic structuring of this poem, the ways in which the institution of marriage contribute to the patriarchal …show more content…

While the entire poem has been focused on the woman and the implications of marriage upon her life, Dickinson purposely ends the poem in the last two lines referring to the husband’s perspective. Dickinson confirms the dominance of the male in the institution of marriage by ending the poem with these definitive lines, “But only to himself is known/ the fathoms that they abide” (475). First, Dickinson subtly communicates much information regarding the dominance of the male in these two lines. As this is only the second time that a male pronoun is used in the entire poem, its meaning is intensified once again. Secondly, it is necessary to note the connection between “himself” and “they” in these two lines (475). It is the male perspective that decides the thoughts and opinions that they will collectively “abide” (475). This pair of lines is also ended with only the third period used in the entire poem to solidify his

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