Necessary Lies

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of forced sterilization, racism, violence, suicide, and sexual trauma.

“But last night [Robert] said I seemed more excited about the job than I was about fixing up our beautiful new—well, new to us, anyway—house, and that was true. The house was perfect just as it was. I didn’t care if the drapes had been picked out by someone else or if the wallpaper in the guest bedroom was a little faded. He joked that I wasn’t a normal woman. At least I hoped he was joking.”

In keeping with the theme of Gender Norms in Mid-20th-Century America, Robert presumes that Jane will not only tend to domestic tasks but limit herself to them. He regards the world of professional work as outside of women’s traditional sphere and therefore not “normal.” This early disagreement foreshadows how Robert and Jane’s differing views on gender norms will later play a large role in ending their marriage.

“Charlotte looked at me. ‘We’ll get you working on that petition right away,’ she said, and I nodded although I was thinking, what does Ivy want? Shouldn’t that count for something?”

From her first encounter with the Hart family, Jane is apprehensive about preventing Ivy from making her own choices. Because Ivy has epilepsy and is regarded as unintelligent, the state feels it is justified in making decisions for Ivy. This proves to be the novel’s central conflict and reflects the theme of Personal Agency and Autonomy.

“I was thinking how, in all the time I knew Mrs. Werkman, she never sat with me alone in the shade and asked me all these questions like I was a grown-up. Like what I thought mattered. She never asked me one single question about my daddy.”

Though it is against protocol for Jane to interact with her clients in a personal way, Ivy immediately appreciates the care that Jane shows her. This personal interest will ultimately help Jane earn Ivy’s trust. Ivy’s observation of the differences between Jane and Charlotte establishes the two characters as foils.