The Book Club for Troublesome Women

Margaret’s nightmare is a recurring motif in the book. The first time she has the nightmare in the novel, it appears without context and isn’t complete—she gets to the point where she opens the refrigerator door and screams, and then she is woken up by Walt. Over the dream’s multiple appearances, the narrative eventually reveals that Margaret’s nightmare is based in reality: She is reliving the day she returned home to find her mother, who died by suicide.

In the beginning, Margaret’s unexplained nightmare only serves as an element of mystery that adds narrative tension to the novel. Once its context is fully revealed, it shifts into a symbol of The Pervasive Nature of Patriarchy. Through flashbacks, it is revealed that Margaret’s mother, like Margaret herself, yearned for something more than her role as a wife. However, because her needs were dismissed and trivialized by her husband, Margaret’s mother eventually became depressed and died by suicide. Margaret’s mother’s death highlights the fact that the “malaise” Friedan speaks of in her book is not a phenomenon that arose in the 1960s; it has haunted women before her time as well, evidence that the patriarchy has negatively impacted many lives throughout history.