The Wife Upstairs

Phones, TVs, and other devices with screens are a symbol of Victoria’s agency and independence—a lifeline to the outside world as Adam attempted to isolate her. Victoria had privacy and agency at the start of her relationship with Adam. However, as their relationship developed, Victoria began to lose her independence. The first clear evidence of the erosion of Victoria’s agency was the smashing of her phone after their engagement dinner. Adam flew into a jealous rage, alleging that Victoria cheated on him with Mack. When Victoria refused to give him the password to her phone, Adam threw the phone at her head. Though he didn’t hit her, her phone was destroyed. Victoria wrote in her diary, “The screen is so shattered, I can’t see anything. But what’s even more wrecked is my engagement” (194). The admission that she couldn’t see anything is a double entendre, as Adam’s manipulation left her unable to see his true character or the danger she was facing. Though this incident shook her badly, she took him back after he apologized, and their relationship continued. Adam later demanded the password to Victoria’s phone, demonstrating the further disintegration of her agency.

A screen appears again toward the end of the diary entries in the novel. After Adam murdered Mack, Victoria became catatonic with grief, watching TV constantly. In an attempt to break Victoria out of her anguish, Adam broke the TV, but Victoria did not break: “The screen smashed and the picture went black. He probably expected a reaction to that, but if he did, he was disappointed. I just kept on staring at the black screen” (322). Victoria refused to give Adam the satisfaction of hurting her any more than he already had, so she did not react, illustrating the brief return of her agency and foreshadowing her decision to attempt to leave.