Profession: Housewife by Sally Benson
"Profession: Housewife" by Sally Benson explores the experiences of Dorothy Grannis, a woman navigating the challenges of her domestic life. Set in the context of a seemingly mundane day, the story opens with Dorothy dealing with the rejection of an invitation by a couple she had hoped would visit. This rejection triggers feelings of isolation and frustration, highlighting the limited social connections that Dorothy and her husband, Joe, have formed since their marriage. The narrative reveals that Dorothy has left her job and lost touch with former colleagues, contributing to her loneliness.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Dorothy's life is marked by routine and a lack of engagement with the outside world. Her interactions are further limited when a young sales representative arrives, attempting to pitch a subscription service for a household magazine. Dorothy's reaction to the sales representative's offer embodies her disillusionment with traditional housewife roles and expectations. Ultimately, she rejects the offer in a symbolic gesture, tearing the book and discarding the pages, which underscores her feelings of entrapment and dissatisfaction. Through Dorothy's character, Benson sheds light on the complexities of domestic life and the emotional struggles that can accompany the role of a housewife.
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Profession: Housewife by Sally Benson
First published: 1938
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The 1930's
Locale: Suburban United States
Principal Characters:
Dorothy Grannis , a newly married womanJoe Grannis , her husbandA magazine salesperson
The Story
This story begins with a description of the house in which Dorothy and Joe Grannis live—the breakfast nook, the gingham curtains, and the painted tabletop where Joe sits reading his morning paper. Dorothy opens a letter from a couple she has invited to visit. The woman has written to say that she and her husband cannot accept the invitation. Dorothy is angry, but Joe—who has expected this response—feigns surprise. He tries to encourage his wife by suggesting that the couple may be able to come another time, but Dorothy sees through the woman's excuse. She knows that the couple do not want to socialize with them.
As the dialogue proceeds, it becomes clear that this is Joe's second marriage. The friends of his marriage have not carried over to his new marriage. He and Dorothy have few friends of their own. Dorothy quit her office job when she married and now has little contact with people. She has not kept in touch with the women with whom she formerly worked. There appears to be only one couple with whom the Grannises socialize, and Dorothy, humiliated that this couple have begun to suspect that she and her husband have no other friends, rejects Joe's suggestion that she invite them over in place of the couple who have just rejected their invitation.
All of this makes for a lonely and uninspiring life for Dorothy. After Joe leaves the house, slamming the front door behind him, Dorothy washes the breakfast dishes, then walks into the dining room, where she admires the silver lined up neatly in the drawers of the sideboard. Upstairs she straightens the bedroom; just as she finishes, the doorbell rings. Looking out the window, Dorothy sees a young sales representative with a briefcase.
The sales representative makes his pitch, offering Dorothy a free book with "five hundred tested recipes, how to set your table for any occasion, and other helpful household hints." Dorothy is shrewd enough to tell him that she knows the book is free only if she subscribes to something, and she wants to know what. Caught slightly off guard, the sales representative acknowledges that the gift is conditional; to get it Dorothy must sign up for a three-year subscription to Good Homes Magazine. Saying that he will return later in the afternoon, he offers to leave the book with Dorothy so she can look it over and decide.
Dorothy naps until the early afternoon, then makes herself lunch and leaves for the village to get her hair washed and waved. After returning home, she goes upstairs to her room, where she changes into her housecoat, lies on the bed, and lights a cigarette. The doorbell rings; it is the young sales representative returning for his book. Dorothy lies down again and smokes her cigarette, listening to the bell ringing ever more urgently. Finally, she retrieves the book from downstairs and returns to her room, where she rips the pages from its spine and tears them in half. After bending the cover, she gathers the ripped pages and walks to her bedroom window. The sales representative is relieved to see her, but to his amazement, Dorothy opens the screen and drops pieces of the destroyed book to the lawn below. After beginning to pick the pieces up, he soon realizes the futility of the task. He and Dorothy stare at each other before he walks away. Dorothy returns to her bed, lights another cigarette, and lies staring at the ceiling.