The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
"The Stepford Wives" is a novel that explores themes of gender roles, conformity, and the dangers of suburban idealism. The story follows Joanna Eberhart, who moves with her family from New York City to the seemingly perfect town of Stepford. Here, she notices an unsettling trend among the local women, who embody an idealized version of domesticity, seemingly content with their roles as submissive housewives. As Joanna investigates, she uncovers a sinister secret involving the Men's Association, which replaces the original wives with robots designed to fulfill traditional domestic roles while lacking individuality and autonomy.
The novel critiques the societal pressures that dictate women's behavior and highlights the perils of a life solely devoted to domesticity. Despite initially receiving mixed reviews, the concept of a "Stepford wife" has permeated popular culture, representing women who conform to restrictive, traditional roles. The narrative evolves as Joanna attempts to rally the women against this oppressive system, only to face increasing isolation and danger. Ultimately, the story serves as a chilling commentary on the loss of identity and the consequences of societal expectations regarding gender and family life.
On this Page
The Stepford Wives
First published: 1972
Type of work: Novella
Type of plot: Science fiction—feminist
Time of work: The 1970’s
Locale: The suburb of Stepford, in the eastern United States
The Plot
Joanna and Walter Eberhart and their two children move from New York City to idyllic Stepford, where they find glamorous housewives who delight in waxing floors and cleaning ovens. Joanna discovers that the Men’s Association, led by a former audioanimatronics expert for Disneyland, disposes of the wives and replaces them with robots who have enhanced anatomies and reduced personalities. Neither this short novel nor the film that was made of it in 1974 was enthusiastically reviewed, nor were the made-for-television sequels, Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980) and The Stepford Children (1987). Despite unfavorable reviews, however, the story has entered public consciousness. “Stepford wife” has become synonymous with a woman who is subservient to her husband and contented with a narrow range of domestic interests.
Walter, a corporate lawyer, joins the Men’s Association, much to Joanna’s annoyance. She hates the mindless housewifery of the cosmetically correct Stepford women and describes herself as a professional photographer interested in tennis and “the Women’s Lib movement.” She attracts another newcomer, Bobbie Mar-kowe, whose house shows no signs of the Stepford mania for orderliness, but when they attempt to organize a women’s group, they find no interest. Joanna meets several members of the Men’s Association, including the cold Dale Coba, the president, and Ike Mazzard, a renowned illustrator who sketches her throughout the evening.
Bobbie finds a kindred spirit in Charmaine, a tennis whiz with a keen interest in astrology. Charmaine, however, is soon changed into a Stepford wife, and she rips out her tennis court to replace it with a putting green for her husband. Bobbie is desperate to move away. Meanwhile, Joanna stumbles across an old newspaper that mentions a now-defunct Woman’s Club in Stepford. When she attempts to photograph the Men’s Association’s private headquarters one evening, a police officer tips off its members. One of the men leaves a tape recorder with Joanna, and as the first part of the book ends, she is recording her voice, for reasons that are becoming increasingly evident to the reader.
In the second part, Bobbie, who has been looking at houses elsewhere, returns from a “second honeymoon” (spent at home, but without children) as altered as was Charmaine, so Joanna befriends another newcomer, a black writer named Ruthanne Hendry. When Joanna pleads with Walter to leave Stepford, he resists, insisting that she is suffering paranoid delusions. As Christmas approaches, Joanna solves the mystery of the Men’s Association, but Walter refuses to let her leave the house. She escapes in the snow but is tracked down by men from the association, who argue that if the women bleed, they cannot be the sophisticated robots she insists they are. As part 2 ends, Joanna is confronted by Bobbie with a butcher knife in her kitchen.
The brief third part serves as an epilogue, in which the “unexchanged” Ruthanne encounters the automaton version of Joanna at the market. Joanna tells Ruthanne she no longer cares for tennis or photography, that “housework’s enough for me.” At the end, the reader learns that Ruthanne’s private weekend with her husband, during which her exchange will occur, is only a week away.