The Young Housewife Expressing Herself

Rexsona Begum
Professor Lew

ENG115-002 23

February 2016

The Young Housewife Expressing Herself

In “The Young Housewife” by William Carlos Williams, the young housewife is expressing her sexually in public.  The sexual way the young housewife expressing herself is giving attention to other mans. For example, in the first stanza, the author describes the young housewife “Move about in negligee”. This describes that the young housewife wearing negligee in the house and walking around. Specifically, In 1916, the housewife doesn’t wear a negligee until ten A.M and walk around the house.  In addition, begins of the second stanza “Then again. . ." significant that the young housewife expression of fantasy emerges and suddenly desires are brought about when she comes to the curb to called the iceman, fish-man, and stands. Which describe how the young housewife wants to get attention from other men because she is not getting attention from her husbands. In the poem, the author does not mention anything about husband is present. More importantly, when she came to the curb the author describe her "shy, uncorseted, tucking in stray ends of hair." This rise to a question, when she was calling the ice-man and fish-man why she was shy and tucking in stray ends of hair? Because she knows if she go outside wearing the negligee, she will get attention from other mans, so the author does not say if she changes her outfit to come outside to call the ice-man and fish-man.  However, she is shy because she does not know how to express herself front of ice-man and fish-man. The sexual way others man like the attention-getting from the young housewife. In fact, In the last stanza, the author says "I bow and I pass smiling". This explains how the person likes the attention getting from the young housewife. Also, in the first stanza, the author says "I pass solitary in my car. " This means he was in the car alone and he knows what time the young housewife weak up to come outside. Therefore, the author says "I compare her to a fallen leaf" because he knows it will be easy to get her attention and her husband is not home.   In conclusion, because the young housewife is not getting the attention from her husband, so she expressing her sexually in public.