I Want a Wife/Husband

“I Want a Wife” & “Why I Want a Husband” Response Questions

1. Do these essays have a traditional, explicitly stated thesis?  If so, what is it (for each)?  If you

believe the thesis or purpose is implied for both essays, paraphrase each in your own words.

• Brady and Fernsler both imply that they want a wife/husband to take on the needs of not only themselves but their children. The spouse has certain responsibilities to which they are solely accountable for and the other spouse should not be asked or encouraged to participate in them.

2. Throughout the essay, Brady repeats the words “I want a wife” and Fernsler repeats “I want a

husband.”  What is the effect of this repetition?

• The repetition implies that only the wife in Brady’s case or husband in Fernsler’s case can do these particular tasks at hand. It implies that the spouse has no want or anticipation of being responsible for this task.

3. Brady never uses the personal pronouns he or she to refer to the wife she defines.  Why do you

think she makes this choice?  What about Fernsler’s pronoun usage?  Is he equally “genderless”? 

How does his pronoun usage impact or affect the essay?

• Brady chooses to disregard using the pronouns he and she because wants to make the essay seem more like a job title that only a wife would do the tasks. By remaining genderless she is implying that the husband could also participate in these feminine tasks.
• Fernsler uses the pronoun “he” to refer to the husband. He is not as “genderless” because by using these pronouns he is stating that only males could occupy these positions.

4. The first and last paragraphs of each essay are quite brief.  Why do you think Brady and

Fernsler chose to write such short introductory and concluding paragraphs?  What effect does it

have on the reader?

• By using such short paragraphs the point is driven across more effectively. The introductory paragraph introduces the reader to the writer and helps to decipher why the essay is written. The end paragraphs impact that both Brady and Fernsler would like to have a spouse that would support them either emotionally or financially.

5. Do you think both authors really want the kind of wife and husband each describes—does this

ideal spouse actually exist?  Explain why you think Brady wrote her essay in the early 1970s—

and then what motivated Fernsler to respond in the late 1980s...what does each essay say about

the time period in which they were written?

• I believe that both authors would appreciate a spouse that was willing to compromise and work on the designated chores together. If either author had a spouse like the one described they would both become “spoiled” and would regret how much that they are taking advantage of their significant other. These ideal spouses do not actually exist in the present time. More women are working now and less are stay at home mothers. But many mothers still do plan and care for their family as described by Brady.
• Brady wrote her essay in the early 1970s because this was the time of shows like “Leave it to Beaver” and other shows that implied that women should stay at home and care for the family.
• Fernsler responded in the late 1980s because at this time it was still mandatory for men to be the main income in the household.
• Each essay describes the oppressions of the genders in the time frames. Many spouses are encouraged to take on only a certain role during a marriage but a compromise must be met between financial and family burdens.