Young Housewife By William Williams Essay, Research Paper

The Idea of Male Power vs. Female Powerlessness in ?The Young Housewife?

?The Young Housewife? is a poem by William Carlos Williams that deals with

many issues. One of the main issues that this poem deals with is the conflict

between male power and female powerlessness. Although at first glance the poem

may not seem to be have this theme in it but Williams?s work is filled with

multi meanings. It all determines how one would interpret the poem, from the

literal meanings to the underlying meanings and symbolism. In the first stanza

Williams describes the woman as moving ??behind the wooden walls of her

husband?s house?(2-3). This can be taken in a couple of different ways.

First of all you could look at it literally and picture the girl in the house

moving about do various things. You could also look at it in the way that the

woman is being controlled by her husband. Williams refers to her moving about

behind her husband?s walls. This signifies that the male is the person with

all the power and money. He owns the house and the woman is being let to live in

it. In the second stanza Williams says, ?Then again she comes to the

curb?(5). Hear again Williams is not really clear whether he wants this line

to be taken for its literal meaning, which would mean that she woman is simply

going to the curb, to get items that were dropped off. He could also be

symbolizing to woman that stands on the curb, which is a prostitute. This

meaning goes along with the theme of power control because prostitutes are under

the control of the person that ?hires? them. It is degrading and gives the

woman a bad reputation, and demoralizes them in a way. Going along with the idea

of a more sexual theme Williams refers to the woman as ??a fallen

leaf?(9). This can be taken as the woman looks dead, and has no direction in

life anymore. The woman may depend upon her husband for things. Like a falling

leaf, which when leaf falls from a tree it is essentially dead, and its life is

over. In the final stanza Williams writes ?The noiseless wheels of my car rush

with a crackling sound over the dried leaves??(10-12). I took this as

meaning that he used the girl and didn?t care what she felt and what happened

to her. People drive over leaves all the time without thinking twice. It appears

that the man in the story stopped to ?inquire? the woman, without really

having any feelings towards her. After using the woman for a sexual purpose, the

man in the story just drives away without feeling any guilt. All of these

references make me feel that that the woman in the story was really powerless

and had no control in her life. I felt that she was not only being controlled by

her husband, but because she was made out to be a prostitute she was in the

control of every man that she was with.