Question #6

[Ashley]

Here's a question: Did Udall's novel change or affect your view of polygamy? If so, how?

[Meghan]

It did not....it actually reinforced my opinion that the lifestyle is unsustainable in a healthy family dynamic and more often than not dmaaging to those involved.

[Carol]

No - you've heard enough from me, but with my own family experience, and their feelings about it, and seeing the examples of how the women are abused today,
NO THANK YOU!!!

I'm in the State of Wonder, about 2/3 through. Now that's a good read. Really enjoying it...

[Alisha]

I agree with Meghan- pretty much reiterated these same things for me too...

[Ashley]

The novel certainly didn’t change my opinion of polygamy being, as Meghan aptly put it, “unsustainable.” I still think it’s totally flawed, damaging to almost everyone involved, and potentially very abusive. That said, Udall’s novel DID give a more nuanced perspective of it, examining the more subtle ways that polygamy can screw up kids, wives, and even the husband/father.

One aspect I found a tad surprising was Udall’s subtle portrayal of the family functioning slightly as a matriarchy (or a patriarchy-sanctioned matriarchy?). After all, women are running things and are in charge of all those kids. Golden isn’t even there most of the time, and when he is, he’s outnumbered. Udall (or an interviewer—I forget) sort of points to this idea of matriarchy in the author notes or interview or whatever at the end of the novel, but such an argument is deeply flawed. After all, these wives (Beverly most obviously) are only in charge of that which men don’t want to deal with. They “supplement” or “complement” the male head. The matriarchy argument holds no water; in fact, polygamy shows how religiously promoted inequality between the sexes can lead to such disasters as polygamy.

[Meghan]

amen Ashley!