Sandhya Maharaj

The Women’s Liberation Movement centres around the advocacy of feminism while also promoting the possession of rights and power (Helford 145). Prior to the 1960s, women had limited authority over their bodies and minds as they were subjected to male dominance. For instance, women were often told to remain at home instead of working to tend to household duties and care for their children. Staying home to perform such tasks gained the title of “the suburban wife,” which synonymously means “housewife.” Although the idea of male dominance is frightening to women, the second-wave women’s movement — which occurred during the late 1960s to the mid-1970s —  led to an abundance of feminist activism. The actions that were taken by women to resist and combat their oppression resulted in not only their power but also an influence on the entertainment industry, like films and novels such as 1977’s Julia, 1979’s Norma Rae (Helford 145), and Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives. 

Through the use of intricate ideas influenced by the second-wave women’s movement, Levin was able to produce a literary work which grasps readers’ attention. He brilliantly utilized literary devices within his novel to showcase the contentious notions of traditional gender roles and the patriarchal society that had existed during the Women’s Liberation Movement. As the novel was released in 1972, there is an emphasized importance towards its publication due to the feminist discourse it provides, inspiring further activism. Ira Levin’s novel, The Stepford Wives, critiques the traditional gender roles and patriarchal values that dominated society during the 1970s. Through traditional gender roles, a patriarchal society, and the literary devices of satire and irony, Levin is able to illuminate the fears and anxieties surrounding the women’s liberation movement in his novel, provoking discussion of women’s reality.

Before the second-wave women’s movement, conforming to traditional gender roles was customary. Women were often pressured to act according to the cultural norm as they were limited to making beds, shopping for groceries, and laying with their husbands, all while being dissatisfied with their lives (Friedan 15). Ira Levin was able to relay the societal pressure of upholding the traditional gender roles women had to endure in his novel, The Stepford Wives, by creating a town in which the women were compliant and submissive suburban wives. Levin’s character, Dale Coba, expressed the male urge for a submissive woman as he said, “I like to watch women doing little domestic chores,” (Levin 30). Coba’s statement slightly foreshadowed the revelation of the novel, that the men of Stepford were replacing their wives with robotic hausfraus, and exhibited the roles women adhered to before the second-wave women’s movement, as he represented one of the many men of the town who fetishized dominance. By stating he liked to watch women perform domestic chores, Coba highlighted the sexism in Stepford that suggested that women should fulfill their suburban role.

Coba’s statement further validated George Gilder’s thought that women are impotent to the economy of the marketplace but have value when concerning their sexuality (Helford 149) as they shared similar ideologies relating to women; women are subjected to what they can offer men. After being replaced by automatons, the robots refrained from leaving home, making sure to tend to household duties, unless to gather groceries as readers see a Stepford wife — Mary Ann Stavros — outside her home for the first time at a grocery store (Levin 21). According to Betty Friedan, Stavros’s scene at the grocery store displayed the actions of a suburban wife as she described the suburban wife to remain home unless to shop, chauffeur her children, or attend social events with her husband (Friedan 17). Friedan continued to state that the duties that were performed by stay-at-home wives were supposed to bring them “true feminine fulfillment” (Friedan 18); however, Levin conveyed this idea to be false by creating the protagonist of The Stepford Wives, Joanna Eberhart.

As a way to express the questioning of traditional gender roles that were customary to the 1960s, Levin created Joanna Eberhart’s character for his novel, The Stepford Wives. Joanna was used as a medium to bring awareness to the exasperating gestures performed by housewives in the suburban setting, as she had moved with her family to the suburbs from New York City (Levin 7). The city, as Joanna called it, was an important location due to the feminist activity that occurred there during the second-wave women’s movement (Helford 153). By the Eberharts relocating from an inspiring city like New York, which is known for its free-spirited personality, to the quiet suburbs of Stepford, Levin portrayed the change in Joanna’s life that was about to happen — she was going to be replaced by a robotic clone. In addition, Joanna’s character challenged traditional gender roles by being a photographer. This occupation held importance in the novel because it allowed Joanna to view and understand her surroundings differently than others, that is, Joanna views Stepford in a way the men could never — in “the female gaze” (Helford 153). 

Other than Levin creating Joanna to be a photographer, which caused her to see the truth behind the Men’s Association, Joanna’s character also raised questions about the fulfillment of the Stepford wives as she was involved with political rights, had attended college, and had a career, although unstable. These gestures, which brought fulfillment to Joanna, were significant to the novel because women were taught to believe that such behaviours were traditionally masculine, and that feminine women should not find fulfillment in them (Friedan 16). Instead, feminine women were told that completing tasks such as waxing floors would bring them great satisfaction (Friedan 19). In Levin’s novel, the wives of Stepford were often found waxing their floors as first expressed by Carol Van Sant during a conversation with Joanna as she said, “Thanks, I’d like to, but I have to wax the family-room floor,” (Levin 8) after being invited over for a cup of tea, and again by Bobby as she said, “Watch your step, I waxed the floor this morning,” (Levin 89) when Joanna visited her house.

Additionally, Levin critiqued the patriarchal society by creating a town that held patriarchal values. Before the Women’s Liberation Movement, women had very little autonomy as they had to obey their husbands and were limited to homemaking and childbearing. The women of Stepford behaved in the same manner, adhering to the patriarchal expectations of housewives as they devoted their time to housework and their children. While the women were left at home, the men of Stepford were often found at the Men’s Association — an alliance where men gathered to discuss topics such as politics, charity drives, and more (Levin 5). The novel showcased the inequality between men and women, creating a clear vision for readers that women had little to no power. The novel further influenced the title, “Stepford Wife,” to describe the idealized woman, being a beautiful, passive, and fetishized object (Helford 149). This title specifically refers to “white, economically privileged housewives” who are “married to dull, older, rich white men” (Helford 146).

Toward the end of the novel, Levin again emphasized the dominance men had over women by turning Joanna into a Stepford wife. As Nickolas Ashford Jordan and Jordan Luzader

articulated in their article, women are often victims of poverty, sexual violence, and sex trafficking  (Jordan and Luzader 131) due to men exploiting their power and privilege. Levin’s idea to not make Joanna the exception of murder expressed that men will always have power over women (Helford 152). A cause for men abusing their power may be because they do not understand their privilege; however, this can change by creating a space for both men and women to discuss topics together (Jordan and Luzader 133). Unfortunately, the Men’s Association existed in The Stepford Wives, which oppressed and discriminated against those with less power. 

Due to their fear of losing power and control, the men decided to transform the Stepford wives into robots. To do this, they created a Men’s Association which contained members suitable for the takeover of women. Members of the association, like Ike Mazzard and Dale Coba, were especially significant to the transformation of the women as Mazzard was an illustrator (Levin 25), who was capable of completing the sketches for the robots, and Coba had worked at Disneyland, where he gained skills on how to create a robot (Levin 99). The replacement of women allowed greater power for men to consume as they were left in charge of the town; however, the town of Stepford may be negatively affected as a variety of voices must be acknowledged in order to “tackle complex issues,” especially when such issues concern a larger community (Jordan and Luzader 132). Though this did not matter, as the men were only concerned about losing their power. Furthermore, had they not felt inferior to the Stepford women, they wouldn’t have gone to such an extent to get rid of them (Helford 149).

To evoke the fears and anxieties surrounding the Women’s Liberation Movement, Levin used literary devices within his novel. Literary devices are often used to create specific effects within a text, like creating a mood or enhancing the meaning of something (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary 2 ed.). Some examples of literary devices include allusion, imagery, foreshadowing, and symbolism — all of which were used in The Stepford Wives. Two prominent devices used, however, are satire and irony. According to Professor Natalie Neill, satire is used to “ridicule…., expose and criticize individuals, groups, attitudes, or institutions” and can be executed in a humorous manner (Neill Course Glossary). Using this definition, Levin showcased the novel to be satirical by ridiculing the suburban wife’s conformity to traditional gender roles and the patriarchal society. As previously noted, Joanna’s character was used to expose the unfulfilled lives of suburban women. Her character created ridicule for the type of women wanted by the Stepford men, as the women had no sense of their own and became subservient to their husbands’ desires.

The other noted literary device used in Levin’s novel is irony. Taken from The Oxford Companion to the English Language dictionary, irony is defined to represent a paradox (The Oxford Companion to the English Language 2 ed.) in a text, or a contradiction. An example provided by the dictionary to explain irony was, “Ironically, his kindness only made things worse,” (The Oxford Companion to the English Language 2 ed.).This example demonstrated how an action can produce an outcome that contradicts what was originally intended. Irony can be found throughout Levin’s novel. For instance, Joanna relocated to a seemingly perfect town called Stepford with her family, only to realize sinister events were happening. Although the suburbs represent the idea of a perfect, happy family, it is ironically where Joanna fell to her demise. Literary devices play an important part in literary texts such as Levins, The Stepford Wives. Through the use of satire and irony, Levin was able to create a thought-provoking work that questioned the traditional gender roles and patriarchal society that heavily affected women. 

Overall, Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives brings attention to the harsh reality that existed and continues to exist in some parts of the world today. By using literary devices such as satire and irony, he was able to project the traditional gender roles within the patriarchal society of Stepford during the time of the second-wave women’s movement. Due to the men of the town fearing the loss of their power, they created a men-only organization and executed a plan to replace their wives with robots who complied with every demand given. The novel highlighted some important themes for readers to learn from, as there will always be a fight against women.