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Paige Hudson
Eng 335
Tracy Wilburn
22 February 2014
Edith Wharton was born in 1862 to a wealthy American family. She grew up as a
privileged young woman receiving an at home education and spending much time
abroad. Wharton was married in 1885 but found herself unhappy. It was after her
marriage that Wharton began writing and thus using themes related to her state. For
example, Edith Wharton’s “The Other Two” is a type of her own life.
There is a clue right from the beginning of “The Other Two,” the very first word
is “Waythorn.” At first glance, it seems like just another character name; however,
Waythorn when reorganized spells Wharton with only one extra letter. This is not
coincidence. As the story progresses, we find more similarities to Wharton’s life. Mr.
Wharton informs the reader that his new wife has been married once before; in fact, he
informs us of her two previous marriages.
Alice’s first marriage is portrayed as the result of a young runaway experience.
Her second, one to achieve status. Wharton, as mentioned previously found herself in an
unhappy marriage. To summarize what we read in her brief biography, Wharton found
the marriage dull and claustrophobic. This was the case so much that she began an affair
around 1907, just three years after writing this short story. It is clear that both Alice
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Waythorn and Edith Wharton experienced an unhappiness pushing them away from one
(or more) marriage(s).
Alice Waythorn married thirdly for love, as is evident on page 226 of our
anthology: “He had never seen her more serene and unruffled. It struck him, with a
curious pang, that she was very happy in being with him, so happy that she found a
childish pleasure in rehearsing the trivial incidents of her day.” It is possible that Wharton
portrayed this marriage to be happy because she hoped she would find love one day.
Unfortunately, her affair with Morton Fullerton did not result in a second marriage.
The description of Alice’s multiple divorces may give us another insight to
Wharton. By 1904, Wharton had been married for nearly twenty years. Twenty years in
an unhappy marriage most likely means that Wharton had considered divorce and what it
would mean. She made an example of Alice Waythorn; one, let alone two, divorce(s) did
not make an end of happiness. Alice was able to find happiness with Mr. Waythorn, why
would Edith not be able to find happiness again despite the repercussions of divorce in
society at the time. “The Other Two” teaches the reader many things; among them, that
divorce is not the end, but a second beginning. This idea would have been considered
appalling in the early 1900’s.
Moving on in “The Other Two,” Mr. Waythorn spends significant time worrying
about Alice’s previous marriages. He realized that he truly knew very little about Alice’s
first marriage in particular which, with the present of Mr. Haskett (Alice’s first husband)
in his house, concerned him greatly. His concern increases as he judges Haskett by his
appearance and brief introduction. At one point he even questions his wife’s story
regarding her marriage to Haskett. As his train of thought continues, he begins to
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question more than her story, but her motives as well. He catches himself and his concern
peaks when he asserts that “a man would rather think that his wife has been brutalized by
her first husband than that the process has been reversed” (231). His questioning of Alice,
even just in his head, was a form of disrespect in his mind. He understood he needed to
stand with his wife regardless of what his impressions were of Haskett.
At this point, we can pose the question, why did Edith Wharton not marry again?
The back-story of Alice and Haskett imply that Wharton may be concerned about what a
future love may struggle with, being the second husband. “The Other Two” may not be a
type of the reality of Edith Wharton’s life, but a rendering of the possibilities of
Wharton’s future. She was exploring what would happen if she did indeed divorce her
husband. If she did remarry, her second husband may be faced with the same inkling to
consider what her previous relationship was like and what her motives were for leaving.
This would possibly sway Wharton against getting a divorce and seeking a new life with
a second husband someday. Wharton had to continue the story of the Waythorns in order
to see what could happen for her own future.
The Waythorn’s story, as shown by Wharton, endured many ups and downs
centering on Alice’s previous marriages. At the end of “The Other Two,” Mr. Waythorn
finds himself in an awkward situation: in a room with both of Alice’s ex-husbands and
Alice herself. In an effort to alleviate the tension and relax the mood, Alice offers
everyone tea. The last sentence of this short story sums up whether or not Mr. Waythorn
has overcome his doubts or concerns, “he took the third cup with a laugh” (237). Clearly,
Waythorn has accepted his wife for who she is, along with her past.
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The end of this story may have given Wharton the push towards an affair. Within
the next three years, Wharton began an affair with a journalist, Morton Fullerton. In sum,
Edith Wharton chose subject matter that related to her life. This is why she wrote about
struggling marriages, divorce, frustration of all types, and independence. Though many of
her works focused on these themes, “The Other Two” is possibly the work, which
foreshadows Wharton’s life the closest.