Evidence of the Affair

David Mayer is a high school biology teacher in his late thirties. He reflects The Destabilizing Impact of Infidelity, and he serves as a mirror to Carrie, who experiences the same feelings of shock, disbelief, and fear as he does on learning about their spouses’ affair. David also illustrates subtle gendered differences to Carrie in his response to his wife’s betrayal.

Once he learns about Janet’s affair, David tells Carrie, “Finding out my wife was cheating on me was more than I thought I could bear” (9). The admission displays an emotional honesty that continues throughout their correspondence, contrasting with the secrecy and dishonesty of their spouses’ behavior. Like Carrie, David also expresses a lack of self-esteem, displayed in his confession, “I was never terribly attractive in my youth, but I thought I’d grow into it. But I’m afraid my late 30s have also been accompanied by a growing gut, a bad back, and tension between my shoulder blades” (28). His self-worth is further eroded by Janet’s infidelity, leading to a sense of emasculation. Just as Carrie compares herself unfavorably to Janet, seeing Janet as being more “womanly” because she can bear children, David thinks Ken possesses the attributes he believes he lacks. His perception of his rival as more successful financially and sexually highlights traditional concepts of men as virile providers. David blames himself for Janet’s actions, identifying their financial struggles and his decreased sexual desire as factors that drove her to infidelity. While Carrie feels her status as a wife is threatened by the affair, David focuses on his role as a father and family man. His reluctance to confront Janet largely stems from his fear of a future without his sons.

As David grapples with painful emotions, he often looks to Carrie for guidance. His respect and admiration for her contrasts with Ken’s disparaging comments about Carrie in his letters to Janet. Carrie’s description of David as “tenderhearted […], chivalrous and respectful” (54) underlines his role as a foil to Ken, since he displays qualities Carrie’s husband lacks. David’s kindness and empathy draw attention to Ken’s failings while boosting Carrie’s self-worth. The validation he offers helps facilitate her eventual liberation from her marriage. David’s character also experiences growth as a result of their relationship as he develops resilience: He recognizes that even if his marriage collapses, he still has the potential to be happy. The novella’s conclusion does not reveal whether David ultimately stays with Janet or chooses to be with Carrie and his newborn daughter. However, his character’s evolution suggests that he has gained the courage to break free from the safety of the familiar.

Carrie’s husband, Ken, is a catalyst in the narrative as his affair with David’s wife, Janet, sets the plot in motion. Ken’s voice is absent from the first half of the story until David discovers his letters hidden inside Janet’s cookbook. The contrast between Carrie’s perception of her husband and his secret life underscores the unknowable nature of other people. Carrie’s mother’s fear that her daughter was “committing [herself] to a bland life of boring” (11) when she married Ken conveys his dependable yet dull persona. His rigid routines, like eating a turkey sandwich every day for lunch and listening to the same music, root him in the mundane and safe, leading Carrie to believe he is incapable of recklessness or deceit. Reid establishes Ken’s ordinariness as a backdrop to heighten the shock of betrayal and the fragility of domestic life. Carrie’s discovery of his infidelity transforms security into danger and predictability into unreliability. The content of Janet’s letters further highlights the disparity between the husband Carrie thinks she knows intimately and the man who has been conducting a secret affair. Janet’s description of the intense sexual chemistry she and Ken share and of Ken dancing in his bathrobe seems, to Carrie, to portray a stranger.

Ken exploits his occupation as a dermatologist to manipulate Carrie. His attendance at medical conferences provides cover for his affair with Janet. He also abuses his status as a physician to impose his authority on his wife. Ken’s assertion that working will harm Carrie’s chances of pregnancy has no medical basis, but, as Carrie points out, it is “hard to argue it with a doctor” (27). His aversion to Carrie getting a job suggests a desire to ensure his wife is emotionally and financially dependent on him. Ken also encourages Carrie to believe she is responsible for their inability to have children—an assumption that is later proved inaccurate when Carrie conceives a child with David. The way he places the burden of blame on Carrie reflects his failure to accept accountability in all areas of his personal life.

Reid’s presentation of Ken as the story’s antagonist is cemented by the disrespectful way he refers to Carrie in his letters to Janet. He tells Janet that “Carrie is not half the woman you are” (81), express his disrespect for the woman who has devoted her adult life to him. By conveying Carrie’s integrity and kindness through her letters, Reid emphasizes Ken’s lack of discernment and his inability to appreciate his wife. Further, his revelation that Janet is not his first marital infidelity confirms that the affair is a pattern of behavior rather than an isolated incident. Ultimately, Ken is a static character who fails to grow or learn from his experiences. However, his narrative journey involves a steady reduction of status and control. Initially, he is the center of Carrie and Janet’s attention, but he is eventually rejected by both women.