The Wives

“When you’re newly married, you see a pair of candlestick holders and imagine a lifetime of roast dinners that will go along with them. Dinners much like the one we’re having tonight. My life is almost perfect.”

As Thursday prepares for Seth to arrive home, she contemplates what it means to be a good wife. The concept of perfection and the illusion it represents is a motif throughout the novel that hints at Thursday’s conception of reality. In the quote, her life being “almost perfect” is the first hint that something is not right.

“Everything is just right, the way he likes it, and thus, the way I like it. It’s not that I don’t have a personality; it’s just that everything that I am is reserved for him. As it should be.”

Gender and the concept of the “good wife” are recurrent motifs throughout the novel. In the quote, Thursday claims that everything about her is reserved and dedicated to Seth. She has changed herself completely to meet his desires and fulfill his wishes. This quote establishes Thursday’s obsession with Seth and prepares readers for the later events of the novel.

“This is a woman’s curse. Be direct, but not too direct. Be strong, but not too strong. Ask questions, but not too many.”

Thursday has very strong beliefs about what it means to be a woman and how women should act. Thursday’s idea of womanhood and feminine power are wrapped in the concept of manipulation and deceit, a common motif within the genre of the domestic thriller. These ideas justify her own actions and allow her to fall deeper into her perceived reality.