To Room Nineteen

Before the late 18th century, women had no rights and privilege of higher education, had no property right, had no working right, no voting right, etc. I want to talk about a story called “To Room Nineteen”, and illustrate women and men are unfair. Man’s status is higher than woman’s. In the “To Room Nineteen”, Susan and Matthew Rawlings have been stably married for twelve years. Their marriage was regarded as a successful couple, having “everything they had wanted and had planned for” Matthew have a well paid job, Susan and Matthew belong to the upper-middle class, raise four children, and live in a gardened house. For the sake of a normal family life, Susan quits her job to be “mother” at home. She becomes a responsible mother and wife so she does not have time to experience the sense of freedom. Her day is just waiting for the children to come home, consulting with the maid or worrying about dinner. Unfortunately, Matthew begins to have affairs. However, she has to consciously repress herself because “intelligence” forbids the irrational feelings and behaviors. Then she starts questioning everything; for example, the value of her life, the support of love, and the role of wife and mother. Finally, she decides to go away from her family to seek for solitude. She rents a hotel room where she can just sit and think. Matthew finds something wrong with Susan. Susan knows that Matthew will not recognize her irrational feelings and behaviors, so she decides to tell him a lie that she is having an affair. As family life and her husband fail her, Susan commit suicide in the rented room nineteen. After read this story, I found that during that time women’s life often ended in a tragedy. For Susan, nothing is important in her life, even her children. She cannot do herself. Women belong to men. Women had no rights and privilege of higher education, no property, no working right, no voting right, etc. (335)MANDY