The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman

Herbert George Wells

Jan 1914 · Macmillan

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This novel follows the young Ellen Sawbridge from her early marriage through her gradual political, social and personal awakening. Married at 18 to a successful business man, Isaac Harman, she swaps a life of genteel poverty for one of luxury with little or no freedom. Her husband sees marriage as a bargain: he surrounds her with luxury, and, in turn, she should be acquiescent and well behaved. However she begins to have doubts about her husband's business practices and her own position: she has little freedom and no money of her own. She looks for a house in the country to escape these pressures, which is where she meets Mr Brumley. He is infatuated, and, through him, she receives invitations into society where she comes into contact with new ideas and current political movements. Her husband is jealous and suspicious of her new friends and her gradually awakening desire for freedom and autonomy. She resorts to desperate measures, getting so she can have time alone to think. Her husband gives way and allows her more freedom and income so long as there are no more scandals. After his death she is able to pursue her socialist endeavours with varying results.