The Home Symbol Analysis

Mr. Waythorn and Mrs. Alice Waythorn’s home symbolizes the private sphere of life. Mr. Waythorn feels comfortable in his home and is most content in his relationship when it is just he and Alice together in their private world. When the Waythorns are together in the home, Mr. Waythorn finds comfort in Alice’s collectedness. Conflict builds in Mr. Waythorn and in his relationship when outside, public forces threaten to invade the private sphere, robbing Mr. Waythorn of his ownership and his control. When Waythorn, Alice, and Alice’s ex-husbands (Mr. Varick and Mr. Haskett) are inadvertently thrown together in the Waythorn’s home, the public world essentially intrudes on Mr. Waythorn’s private space—and, by extension, his marriage—and he becomes anxious and uncomfortable despite his poised demeanor. This intrusion causes Alice’s pristine, perpetual politeness to lose its calming effect, and instead incites uncertainty and frustration in Waythorn. The Waythorns’ home, then, serves as a symbolic meeting point between the comfort of the external façade they present to the outside world, and the tumultuous reality of their inner lives and strained marriage.