Kay Boyle Astronomers Wife

Astronomers Wife – Just a Simple Complex Tale

Kay Boyle's literary piece titled "Astronomers Wife", is a mental exercise.

Every word and every line has an important meaning to it. Interpretation is a critical skill in understanding everything Boyle's story has to offer.

Although this piece has a lot of sophistication to it, the story line is rather simple. The time period is the early 1900's and the story is regarding a rather young husband and a wife, in there late twenties to mid thirties. The couple lives out on the country side of the United States where houses are far from one another and the land is scenically beautiful.

Although their surroundings are beautiful, the couples marriage is not.

There is

Both the plumber and Mrs. Ames walk toward the stairwell leading downstairs. Mr. Ames calls out to his wife for assistance with something, however, for the first time ever in her marriage to him she ignores him. The way the husband calls for her is demanding and abrupt, not soothing nor caring sounding in any way, the total opposite from the plumber. She ignores her husband because for once she has more important business to take care of than him, in this case a man that cares for her. The two of them walk down the stairs to where it is bright beautiful and colorful, all signs of nature which represent happiness and love. Mrs. Ames did not feel any shame in passing by her husband without helping him, which represents her being ready to leave him. As the plumber examines the drain, he tells Mrs. Ames that the drain leads to the other side of the forest, in other words, somewhere that they could be happy together. Woman would cling to floating debris when they need to make it through the sea to a safe island just like they would cling to a man to make it through tough times in life and stay with him throughout. The plumber kneeled down to put his finger through the ring