The short story “The Country Husband” by John Cheever reveals the darker side of Suburbia, “the side which traps its residents in a web of conformity,” and the protagonist of the story Francis Weed, is a successful, middle-aged man, leading a life of refined complacency, but, “brought up short in a confrontation with his own mortality.” (John Cheever’s “The Country Husband”, Commentary by Karen Bernardo) In the story Cheever leads the reader through a particular period in the life of Francis Weed, a husband, a father, a neighbor in the town of Shady Hill, in a post-war society that has shaped him into a conventional family man.
Life has, for Francis Weed, undergone a drastic change after a near brush with death in a plane crash as he was flying from Minneapolis to New York and the incident makes Francis thinking of his life in more epic terms than he has been accustomed to do. “A series of events sends Weed into a mental and emotional struggle that threatens to change the roles he fills and test his inhibition and in the ultimate test of life Francis “proves himself to be a man of weakness and also resilience.” (The Country Husband: Who is Francis Weed?) To add to it, Weed expresses anything as it comes to him and is more spontaneous and less reserved.
His fantasies about the babysitter and the thoughtless acts may be noted in this regard. He is greatly obsessed with the new teenaged babysitter Anne, even though his marriage life with Julia is at ease. Many moments reflect his fantasies about the girl which results in his selfish behavior.
It is remarkable at this point that regardless of the fantasy world he lives in, Weed is successful in maintaining his life. “When his wife threatens to leave, he talks her out of it, and he ultimately decides to see a psychiatrist to help him deal with his feelings for Anne. Francis seems to be having trouble adjusting to the lifestyle he has chosen for himself. Although he is dissatisfied with the superficial world in which he lives, he seems to prefer it to the unknown.” (The Country Husband (Characters))
Another characteristic feature of the character of Weed is that he is in rebellion against the pretentious politeness of Shady Hill. This dissatisfaction with the odd nature of the place is reflected as he tells Mrs. Wrightson to shut up and paint them black when she rants on and on about what in the world she should do about her odd-sized windows at the train station. “As the story goes on, Francis’ rebellion, vague and unfocused at first until it centers itself on Anne, is starting to fly apart again, with destructive force.” (John Cheever’s “The Country Husband”, Commentary by Karen Bernardo) The behavior of Weed is pretty changed and he even proves that he can hurt people in the course of the story.
At some point in life, Weed can see an exhilarating and fabulous world beyond suburbia which interests him. He is deeply in want of such land but is unable to reach there. His unhappy life is very well illustrated in the story. It seems that until and unless he is part of another plane crash, happiness will not be part of his life. In the ultimate conclusion it may be remarked that “while living in what would be considered by most a superb neighborhood, Francis is a successful, middle-aged man, who begins to lose his identity through unfortunate events and superficial neighbors.
Through the actions and emotions of Francis, the audience sees several character traits that lead him to the climax of the story.” (Papers on “The Country Husband” and similar term paper topics) Therefore, the character of Francis Weed illustrates the greatness of the story “The Country Husband.”
Bibliography
John Cheever’s “The Country Husband”, Commentary by Karen Bernardo. Web.
Papers on “The Country Husband” and similar term paper topics. Web.
(The Country Husband (Characters). Web.
The Country Husband: Who is Francis Weed?. Web.