Monsters have always held a special place in the world of literature and cinema. While sometimes these monsters are represented by monstrous creatures other times the monster is an aspect of the personality. In Maria Dahvana Headley’s book ‘The Mere Wife’ the monster is neither an individual nor a mythical creature rather it is an institution, a social structure, a way of living that turns innocent people into monsters. ‘The Mere Wife’ is a modern re-imagining of the immensely popular classical novel ‘Beowulf.’ In ‘The Mere Wife’ the characters of Gren and Dylan’s mothers are portrayed as monsters. Yet as the novel progresses it makes one wonder whether the two women are really monsters or just trying their very best to cope with the monstrosity of patriarchy.
The novel deals with the issues a woman faces when her status within the social community is that of just a wife. The title of the novel itself suggests that it is the idea of being a mere wife that is the real monster. Through the portrayal of the characters, Headley points out how much is hidden in the world of a mere wife. They hide their traumas and their addictions. Even their dreams and desires have been curbed and repressed in the process of being a mere wife. The question then is how much of a toll living according to social norms and expectations takes on the individuals who are part of that society. Are the social institutions designed to help individuals thrive or to confine them within their own worst nightmares?
It is fair to say that the monster presented in ‘The Mere Wife’ is a modern monster. The novel may not have any zombies or aliens but it is a critique of the modern society and its many vices. The more one gets into the world of The Mere Wife the more one realizes that the perceived monster in this novel is the town, Herot Hall, which represents the social framework. We can see that Dana is deeply superstitious about the town, she considers the town and its people as evil. She herself does not indulge in social interactions and has instructed Greg, her son to do the same. Thus, for Dana, it is the town that is the monster. However, the town of Herot is simply a symbolic realization of the social institutions it represents i.e. the institution of marriage.
The beauty of ‘The Mere Wife’ lies in the fact there is not one monster that must be tackled and defeated. For the townspeople, Greg is a monster, due to his physical deformities. However, Greg is simply an innocent character loving and loyal. For Dana, the town is the monster. For Willa, anyone who encroaches upon what she considers to be her possession is a monster. For Gren and even Dylan, it is Willa who is the biggest monster since she means them the most harm. The existence of a romantic relationship between Dylan and Gren highlights the homophobia that exists within society. Religion and society have labeled homosexual people and relationships as monstrous. This relationship once again points out how ridiculous the rule of the institution of marriage is. so then it is a marriage that appears to the monster at some level in the novel. Thus, the relationship between the monster and society becomes highly ambiguous as Headley points out that society is the real monster. For instance, as the lectures explain, the representation of the zombie apocalypse is the symbolic interpretation of the dissolution of existing social frameworks and the anxieties it causes among people.
The Mere Wife picks up on the dilemma presented in the classic Beowulf and translates it for the modern readers of the 21st century. As the lecture points out, Beowulf is an exploration of the clash between what is inside and what is outside of the social order and system. There is no victory over defeating the monster in The Mere Wife because there is no tangible monster that one can defeat in the novel. Rather it is a story of the silent warriors, the unseen battles, and the courage it takes to live within the confines of societal bonds.
Works Cited
Egan, Michael. “Aliens & Zombies, Robots & Cyborgs.” 19 March 2021. youtube.com. 25 March 2021 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5RYXWYFsC8>.
—. “Beowulf & the Culture Hero Myth.” 12 January 2021. youtube.com. 25 March 2021 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC03gFdR_oY>.
—. “Etymologies.” 9 January 2021. youtube.com. 25 March 2021 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwE8f-0TCCY>.
—. “New Ages of Monsters in Literature.” 5 March 2021. youtube.com. 25 March 2021 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1uUSgD9la4&feature=youtu.be>.
—. “The Monster in the Mirror.” 24 February 2021. youtube.com. 25 March 2021 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nITkAD0VSs4>.