~ I do not think Betty was truly happy in her marriage with Spencer. I think she was so in love with the idea of being married and having a family that her mind fooled her heart into thinking she was in love with him. Betty simply wanted to live the American dream of being married to a wealthy man who can provide for her and have a family with her. Betty's mother refused to let her stay with her because she was also unhappy in her marriage ,but she never had anyone to run to. I think that deep down her mother was stuck in the same type of unfaithful, unhappy, distant relationship and since she did not find it morally correct to divorce she would not let her daughter leave Spencer either. Betty's mother wanted her to have man to take care of her so she and her husband no longer had to. Therefore, once Betty was married off she was not allowed to return and had to deal with everything her husband put her through just like her mom did. ~ Women in the 1950's were expected to focus on being the best housewife they could possibly be. They went to school until they were married and then they stayed home to clean, cook, and raise their children. They were expected to always look very presentable and appear to be happy no matter what. Also, they were supposed to cater to their husbands every need and want. Wives must listen to their husbands and do whatever they want when they want it done since they were not the masculine figure in the home. These typical roles placed upon women were very different from Katherine Watson's view on what women's roles should be. She saw nothing wrong with getting married ,but she believed that women should focus on their education first. She encouraged women who were already married that they could be both a wife and a student. Katherine thought that women should be able to help provide for their families and that men should take on some of the traditional "womanly" duties such as cleaning, cooking, and helping to raise their children. She believed marriage should be about love and support, not obedience, pride,and financial support. ~
I like what you said about Betty's mother and why she most likely didn't want her to move back in with her. She wanted her to stick it out just like she had to and in some ways, that makes her a really strong woman but also, she shouldn't have had to deal with that, nor should Betty have to.
ReplyDeleteYes, Betty was not happy with her marriage. Once her and Spencer were married, she realized what a big lie her love for him was. I was happy she discovered her true intentions with her future in the end though. Ms. Katherine influenced her the most by giving her more than just the school's curriculum. She gave Betty a chance to be herself and to hear her out with what she could do in the future.
ReplyDeleteBetty was extremely unhappy with her marriage and she ran to her mother but her mother turned her away. And I think that's what triggered Betty to go head and divorce Spencer, because she saw how unhappy her mother was. I feel like everything was focused around what everyone else wanted, instead of what they wanted. Also, women was basically their husbands servant in every single way.
ReplyDelete