also inherits similar manners from her mother to give devotion to Archer by becoming a good wife. It is also described in the novel that wives have many
activities related to household chores; one of them is sewing cushions for their husbands Wharton 248. Here, May does not want to miss her chance as a wife in
sewing cushions for her husband even though she is not good and clever enough at needling.
She was not a clever needlewoman; her large capable hands were made for riding, rowing and open-air activities; but since other wives embroidered
cushions for their husbands she did not wish to omit this last link in her devotion Wharton 249.
From the quotation above, it can be inferred that May does a hard work to show that she is a good wife for her husband. Before becoming a wife, her activities are
typically riding, rowing, and all of open-air activities, but now she has to deal with sewing cushions as an action to devote herself for Archer. In conclusion,
male centeredness requires a wife’s devotion that is full attention for her husband.
4. Obsession with Control
Control towards women is an essential element of patriarchal society for men to maintain privilege. Men are expected to be in control at all times, always
right, and in command of every situation, especially those involving women
Johnson 12.
The novel shows that a man has a full right to control his family since he has a higher status and position in the family as well as in the society.
Furthermore, a man has a duty to conceal his negative behavior in the past in front
of his wife so as to be considered as a good man. On the contrary, a wife should not have any secrets about her life Wharton 34.
Women also have no freedom to give their judgment. They should look simple, frank, and innocent Wharton 35. They are trained to believe what their
husbands tell them, while the husbands have the right to shape their wives to be what they want. This happens to Lary Lefferts who successfully shapes his wife to
be what he wants that is becoming a simple and obedient wife. In other words, in a marriage, it is the husband who has the authority to form his family, while the
wife should always look innocent. Lawrence Lefferts occurred to him as the husband who had most
completely realized this enviable ideal. As became the high-priest of form, he had formed a wife so completely to his own convenience that, in the
most conspicuous moments of his frequent love-affairs with other mens wives, she went about in smiling unconsciousness, saying that Lawrence
was so frightfully strict…. Wharton 35
It is also the duty of a wife to cover any problem in the marriage. They should behave as if there is nothing wrong in their marriage, even though the
reality says the opposite. The above quotation proves this because when Larry Lefferts has several love-affairs with married women, his wife still claims to
others that he is a good husband. When there is a love affair between a man and a woman, the woman is to blame. The man will only be considered foolish, while
the woman is judged as a criminal Wharton 39. This also proves that Larry Lefferts is the model of a man in patriarchal society who has obsession to control
his family by shaping and forming his wife to be innocent and frank. Therefore, it gives him benefits to make love affairs freely without being known by his
innocent wife.
The almost similar case also happens to Julianus Beaufort’s family which is one of the wealthy families in Old New York. The novel describes that Mr.
Beaufort disappears suddenly from New York. No one knows where he is. He leaves his wife, Regina, who suffers a serious condition of stroke. While the
society is gossiping about her husband leaving, Regina seems always to show up her backing up and covering the issue in order to preserve husband outrageous
dishonor Wharton 229-231. All of the above proofs show a woman duty is always at the husband’s
side in every situation. When the husband is in miserable condition, the wife is supposed to always support him. It is the proof of obsession with control in the
patriarchal society since in the case of Regina who is always under her husband’s authority and a shield of the husband’s disgrace.
C. The Ways Ellen Olenska Rebels Against Patriarchal Society
