Story idea, based on a dream last night
This is a story idea I had based on the dream I had last night.
A woman is married to an older man who is absolutely domineering. She’s blond (Laura Dern?), pretty, and childless (? maybe?).
They live in a large Victorian-style house out in New England, where he absolutely forbids her to see anyone or go anywhere. This is especially true after someone (a child? a parent?) has recently departed, either for college or in death– not sure.
Her life is very lonely, as only this one, domineering and abusive man is her only companion. Eventually, perhaps even without deciding to do so, she starts trying to leave. Note: this woman is very old-fashioned, like her spouse– it hardly even occurs to her that this is considered abuse.
First, it’s a normal attempt at regular freedoms– like going to the store on her own. These are prevented.
Later, it’s little attempts to get time to herself, away from him. Sitting out in the backyard. Or jumping the fence to the neighbor’s yard (a practice which rsults in her own backyard becoming prohibited).
For some reason, this woman is very physically fit– perhaps from some hobby or activity from her youth that made her very toned.
Eventually, she gets to the point where sitting on the highest roof of the house is her own escape.
And just as with the backyard, jumping isn’t something she really thinks about, but rather just does, without thinking.
She spends a few years in a mental hospital, placed there by her old-fashioned husband who thinks insane asylums still do shock therapy. In fact, this one may still do those things in extreme cases, but mental health industry reforms come during her stay, the place gets bought, whatever, and she gets Therapy to the point where she can feel strong enough to make a safe place for herself in the world.
Years later, she returns to the house, a stronger, more determined woman. She returns, to find that her husband is a broken shell of who he used to be (or her perspective has changed). She has him placed in a hospital, and files for either divorce or an annulment. When she learns that they have over $10 million in assets, she does not relent– she wants it all, and points out that if he fights her on this, she will sue him for everything for having made her his sexual slave for so many years. She has no mercy on him– he ends up in a state hospital, dying.
Whereas she ends up returning to the house, a place of ghosts for her, but which she really feels she must return to. She starts putting her life back together, eventually reuniting with her son & daughter (? this is why I don’t know if she’s childless or not).
A story of recovery? Revenge? Healing?
satanstoystore wrote:
I like the new look
Your story sounds pretty good. If you could somehow tie in his old-fashioned/abusive reasoning with her being seperated from her kids somehow it could add more to it. For instance, let’s say he disagrees w/ something she’s doing- but in actuality the kids are just driving him nuts- and 1 day something happens. Maybe the kids get sick or whatever- but he blames it all on her. He convinces her it was her fault and she’s a bad mother. Then he sends the kids away.
How’s that?
Posted on 31-Jul-02 at 7:24 am | Permalink
mortaine wrote:
Actually, I thought about this on the way to work this morning, and realized that it’s structurally identical to the Patient Griselde story, which was popular in the middle ages. Chaucer included it in one of the Canterbury Tales. Essentially, Griselde was a poor woman who was selected by the king to be his wife (because his advisers were telling him to settle down). When he married her, the king demanded that she promise to always be obedient to his will, no matter what. During the course of their marriage he:
Lied to her and told her that his subjects hated her.
Took away her daughter and told her that the child had to be killed.
Took away her son and told her that the child had to be killed.
Cast her out in her underwear and sent her back home to poverty.
Hired her as a scullery maid to help prepare his castle for his bridal feast (re-marrying).
Had her attend a fake ceremony, in which he pretended to marry another woman.
Eventually revealed that the other woman was her daughter, and that their son was there as well, and restored her to her place by his side.
In my dream/story, this put-upon wife returns, but no longer obedient. Instead, she exacts a certain amount of justice on his sorry ass. The separation from her/their children would be fairly easily done by having the old-fashioned husband insist on the kids going to private boarding/military schools (perhaps he feels that she is babying them), but then the kids might not realistically have the kind of love and affection that I want them to demonstrate when they’re re-united with their mother. On the other hand, this isn’t exactly a fairy-tale ending anyway, so having some trouble within their house might be good for the story. If I ever write it, I’ll have to see what works best.
Posted on 31-Jul-02 at 7:38 am | Permalink