The Housemaid's Wedding

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

From the very start of the story, Millie is fixated on having the perfect wedding day. She ignores the violent death threats that she receives over the phone, insists on getting her wedding dress fixed, and stresses over each of the traditional wedding items that she is supposed to have for the ceremony. Her fixation conveys her expectations for her wedding: the perfect day in both a structural and traditional sense. As Millie repeatedly states, “I will not let it ruin this day” (4). This line becomes a kind of mantra for Millie, encapsulating the emotional stakes of the day and her desire to reclaim a sense of control in a life marked by chaos.

Despite Millie’s best efforts, the events of the day are slowly ruined by things outside of her control. Beginning from the first lines of the story with the intrusive phone call, her expectations are shattered by the reality of the world that she lives in. Because of her years spent helping women escape their abusive husbands, who are also typically wealthy and powerful, she is vulnerable to angry men seeking retribution.