Blog Post #3

In "The Wife, " Washington Irving portrayed marriage and love as the most powerful thing on this planet.  He writes that during a marriage "if you are prosperous, there they are to share your prosperity; if otherwise, there they are to comfort you" (Irving 526).  What he is showing is that American's viewed marriage as the most important bond in a person's lifetime.  He also shows that the single man cannot be as happy as a married man because he does not have anyone to look after him in times of need.  Irving embraces every good quality of women when describing Leslie's wife, Mary.  One quote that he uses to refer to women is that "there is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."  He describes so many good qualities of women in this stanza and it shows how he and other American's valued women during that time period.  He also showed portrayed that women were not worried about money during that time, and that they were happy with a loving relationship rather than lavish amenities.