The Wicker Husband
Analysis of “The Wicker Husband”
How do you feel when you see someone happy? Do you envy them or wonder what they have that you do not? Do you wish to covet what they have? Wishing to have something another has is a true human emotion. This human emotion is jealousy and this is the primary theme portrayed by the villagers in Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story entitled “The Wicker Husband”. As I look back at the story, it amazes me that almost all of the seven deadly sins present themselves before the story ends.
Seven Deadly Sins
The ugly girl appears ill favored to the villagers. Her demeanor changes drastically once time has passed with the wicker husband she purchased from the basket maker. Here we see pride showing its face in the story. As for the women of the village, they became jealous that someone so ugly and undeserving should have the “perfect” husband with whatever magic the basket maker wove into him. Displayed here are acts of envy. The women begin to want what they do not have from their husbands and wish for them to act accordingly. This is a sign of greed on the part of the village wives. The women of the village display discontent with their husbands, which begins to stir up questions in their husbands’ minds. Were the women of the village displaying lust after the wicker husband? The entire village conspires to partake in unethical acts becoming vicious in order to sabotage the ugly girl’s marriage. Acts of gluttony and wrath are apparent. The basket maker displayed wrath when seeing how his creation, the wicker husband, was mistreated. When the basket maker proposed creating his last masterwork, a wicker lady, thoughts of sloth immerged among the villagers. In the end, when the wicker lady was accepted by the villagers and the basket maker, the ugly girl, the wicker husband, and the wicker baby had all disappeared, it was the villagers’ jealousy that had left all of them to experience their own losses. The villagers created
How do you feel when you see someone happy? Do you envy them or wonder what they have that you do not? Do you wish to covet what they have? Wishing to have something another has is a true human emotion. This human emotion is jealousy and this is the primary theme portrayed by the villagers in Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story entitled “The Wicker Husband”. As I look back at the story, it amazes me that almost all of the seven deadly sins present themselves before the story ends.
Seven Deadly Sins
The ugly girl appears ill favored to the villagers. Her demeanor changes drastically once time has passed with the wicker husband she purchased from the basket maker. Here we see pride showing its face in the story. As for the women of the village, they became jealous that someone so ugly and undeserving should have the “perfect” husband with whatever magic the basket maker wove into him. Displayed here are acts of envy. The women begin to want what they do not have from their husbands and wish for them to act accordingly. This is a sign of greed on the part of the village wives. The women of the village display discontent with their husbands, which begins to stir up questions in their husbands’ minds. Were the women of the village displaying lust after the wicker husband? The entire village conspires to partake in unethical acts becoming vicious in order to sabotage the ugly girl’s marriage. Acts of gluttony and wrath are apparent. The basket maker displayed wrath when seeing how his creation, the wicker husband, was mistreated. When the basket maker proposed creating his last masterwork, a wicker lady, thoughts of sloth immerged among the villagers. In the end, when the wicker lady was accepted by the villagers and the basket maker, the ugly girl, the wicker husband, and the wicker baby had all disappeared, it was the villagers’ jealousy that had left all of them to experience their own losses. The villagers created