Character Analysis
Mrs. Slocum, who's never named in the book but simply referred to as "my wife," is a deeply unhappy woman. Much like April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road and Betty Draper in Mad Men, Mrs. Slocum is as much an unwitting victim of suburban disillusionment as her husband.
Slocum frequently describes how his wife has lost her spontaneity and pizzazz for life. "It is painful for me to recall how my wife was," he laments, "to know the kind of person she used to be and would have like to remain, and to see what is happening to her now" (3.84).
What does she even do all day?
"I have nothing to do" (6.175), she says.
Oh.
Mrs. Slocum isn't having an affair, Slocum concludes, because she's not smart enough to do that. She has no interests outside of shopping and cooking. Though she wants to do something, she doesn't really want a job. Not that we blame her, given what the other women in this book have to do on the job. Oh, what's a girl to do?
Mr. and Mrs. Slocum interact frequently, and about ninety percent of the time they're fighting. We don't really get to witness Mrs. Slocum interact much with the other members of her family, though she doesn't complain about the children as much as her husband does. In fact, she comes across as caring more for them than Slocum does. "They're really such good kids" (4.66), she confides in Slocum's ear one night. Are they looking at the same children?
Mrs. Slocum is "a good person, really, or used to be, and sometimes I'm sorry for her" (3.2), her husband admits. With nothing to do during the day, she has slowly devolved into a drunk who flirts terribly at parties.
She makes comments on how she has grown older, heavier, and less attractive than she used to be (Slocum cannot disagree with these facts), and she constantly tells Slocum that she doesn't think he loves her anymore. Slocum thinks she may also be right about that, too. Hmm, sounds like quite the happy marriage.
Mrs. Slocum never mentions her husband's affairs to him, and it's not certain whether she knows about them or not. What we do know about the role she plays in these affairs is that she's always on Slocum's mind when he engages in hanky panky with other women. And he thinks she should be grateful for that.
Slocum may think that his wife isn't as endearing as she once was, but he can't bring himself to leave her. Divorce would be way too complicated, he admits, and it may even ruin his prospects for promotion at the company. It's simply easier to stay with the missus, and after the death of their son, perhaps it's the best decision for all.
Or perhaps not.
Or maybe it doesn't matter.
Oh, this book.