“The Wife of His Youth” is a short story by the American writer Charles W. Chesnutt, first published in July 1898. This book was first published in 1899, the same year Chesnutt published his collection of short stories, The Spell of the Woman. The protagonist of “The Wives of His Youth” is an agile light-skinned man, a mulatto Ryder, a respected member of the Blue Vein Society in a Midwestern town (Chesnutt 1). He is preparing to marry another light-skinned mulatto woman when a darker-skinned woman, Lisa Jane, comes to him looking for her husband Taylor, whom she has not seen in 25 years. Ryder says Taylor could have died or remarried. However, she insists that her husband has remained faithful. Ryder informs her that slave marriages do not count after the war; marriages had to be officially recognized as legal. She shows him an old picture of Sam and leaves. In the end, Ryder tells everyone present at the Blue Vein Ball the story of the woman who came to see him. Then he adds that he is the one who is her lost husband.
The ethical dilemma of the protagonist of this story is whether to admit that he is the husband of a black woman. On the one hand, he has led a free life for many years and is ready to marry another woman. On the other hand, as a young man, he promised Lisa Jane to be faithful to her when he left her. Even though he could not keep his promise, the woman retained her fidelity and hoped that she could find the love of her youth. Not telling her the truth is an unethical choice and a betrayal of her fidelity and telling means the destruction of his new relationship.
At the ball, when Ryder told the audience the story of Lisa Jane, he asked about their opinion on whether a husband should remain faithful to his wife for so many years. The audience convinced him that he should. This suggests that people accepted to remain in a relationship in those days even when they were completely unaware of each other. People were often enslaved and taken into military service, which broke up many relationships for many years. Nevertheless, they remained faithful to each other and never forgot their loved ones.
If I were Ryder, I, too, would have told those present about my wife of youth. The fact is that her faithfulness and devotion deserve the highest praise. Even though Lisa Jane has not seen her husband in many years, she has not lost faith in the possibility of the couple’s reunion. Therefore, she deserves to know the truth about her husband and his life. However, I would not pursue a relationship with this woman despite discovering the truth. Many years have passed since they fell in love, and they have become entirely different people. Therefore, such a relationship would be nothing but disappointing.
To summarize, the piece “The Wife of His Youth” is about the ethical dilemma of a mixed-race man, Ryder, whom a black woman approaches in search of her husband. It turns out that Ryder is her lost husband, who, long since disbelieving in reunion with his beloved, has found a new wife. Nevertheless, Ryder tells the truth at the Blue Wen Ball, choosing a more ethical way to resolve the conflict and not betray his wife’s loyalty to her youth. I agree with the protagonist’s decision and find this act most appropriate.
Work Cited
Chesnutt, Charles W. The Wife of His Youth. The Cambridge Press, 1898.