Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories Women and Femininity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Story.Paragraph)

Quote #16

Elizabeth was very beautiful, more beautiful perhaps than he had ever realized. Her straight clean hair was shining. Her face was softer, glowing and serene. It was a madonna loveliness, dependent on the family ambiance. (Sojourner.30)

It seems like John Ferris may believe that a woman becomes more of a woman once she settles into family life. (See: "bride-fat.")

Quote #17

[...] his wife was a dissolute woman. Dissolute. And he and his children were bound to a future of degradation and slow ruin. (Domestic.88)

We wonder, does Martin's wife alcoholism make her less of a woman in his eyes?