Undine Spragg in Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country (Essay Example)

Is Undine Spragg a successful wife to Raymond de Chelles? It can be argued that Undine does not fit the definition of a successful french woman, despite her thoughts on how well she “fits into” their society. In French Ways and Their Meaning by Edith Wharton, the differences between the cultures of French and American women are expressed. Wharton writes  “... the Frenchwoman is always her husband’s business partner… [She is] her husband’s associate… her heart is in his job” (French Ways and Their Meaning, 103). This social stigma greatly differs from American society as many women were not expected to worry about finances or express interest in the workings of their husbands’ businesses. 

In The Custom of the Country, Undine Spragg is a character who has been married multiple times. There are many reasons why she feels that each marriage is not working in her favor, however, the reader has a different perspective on the matter. The reader may see that her marriages fail due to her lack of satisfaction with each husband. The sole reason she is unhappy is that each husband is unable to keep up with her rich tastes and spending habits. Undine has a great love of spending money, while not working to make any for herself. In the American society in which she was raised, women were not required to understand the workings of a business and were not expected to worry about their financial standing. This practice greatly differs from the French society, where women are expected to take part in their husband’s daily work and to understand the practices of his business. During Undine’s marriage to Ralph, she was spending most of their wages, requiring further financial support to be made elsewhere. Despite the Marvell family being American, they follow the French model of wifehood and successful marriage. Their family believes that the woman should take part in the financial duties of the household, and the man should not be required to work. However, Undine spends too much money to allow this lifestyle to occur. “Couldn’t your people do something—help us out just this once, I mean?... I couldn’t ask them—it’s not possible. My grandfather does as much as he can for me…” (101). This quote shows Undine’s misunderstanding of the financial aspects of their society, and her reluctance to change her spending habits. Ralph Marvell’s cousin, Clare Van Degen is seen as a more successful wife than Undine while looking from the French perspective. This is solely based on her ability to understand the workings of her husband’s business and the operations of their old-money family. 

Undine’s marriage to Raymond de Chelles also falls under this category as she fails to provide financial support and does not care for anything other than the money she can spend on herself. While Raymond de Chelles is concerned about his family members well being and the many heirlooms he has accrued, Undine is more concerned with having money to spend on clothing and trips to Paris. When Raymond explains to her that he needs to go to Paris to settle his brother’s financial affairs, she does not understand why he is the one responsible for his brother’s financial hardship. When the Marquis came back to Saint Désert he explained that everything was taken care of, with her response being “Settled? Her face kindled. Without your having to pay?” (305). Not only does this quote show Undine’s lack of knowledge about the business world, but it also shows that she does not care to understand that he was helping a member of his family. When a family member is down on their luck, it is common for a member of the family to step up and help them. Undine has never had a complete understanding of the responsibilities and love that a family should possess, so it is hard for her to comprehend why Raymond is helping out his brother. Raymond later explains that his brother Hubert and his fiancé will be moving into the Hotel de Chelles, and Undine is outraged. “It’s extraordinary of you to do such a thing without consulting me! Without consulting you? But, my dear child, you’ve always professed the most complete indifference to business matters—you’ve frequently begged me not to bore you with them” (308). This quote shows that Undine feels she should be included in business conversations with her husband, but only the ones she wishes to be involved in. The quote also shows self-contradiction as she wants to be included in his business matters, but only when it has an impact on her life and/or the money she can spend. Raymond saying that Undine “frequently begs” to not “bore her” with business conversations also shows how she fails to fit the definition of a successful french woman. A successful and well-fit french wife should enjoy being involved in her husband’s business encounters and should possess a general knowledge of how their household finances are being upheld. However, Undine lacks both the desire to understand her husband’s business and the financial affairs of their household. She can even be described as an egocentric character. Undine is also a character who cares deeply about her appearance and yearns to outshine almost everyone around her. When Undine wants to go to Europe, she tends to find something wrong with her looks or with her well-being to convince someone that she needs a “change of scenery”. After a lost trip to Paris,  she feels that she has become a lesser person, who is now lacking in both her physical appearance and social qualities. “The dullness of her life seemed to have passed into her blood: her complexion was less animated, her hair less shining. The change in her looks alarmed her…” (320). She becomes further disappointed when her husband tells her that he will not be able to afford a trip to Paris due to some urgent repairs required at the Saint Désert dam. “I’m sorry it should happen just now. I’m afraid I shall have to ask you to give up your spring in Paris. ‘Oh, no–no!’ she broke out. A throng of half-subdued grievances choked in her: she wanted to burst into sobs like a child” (322). Undine’s selfishness shines through in this quote, as she can only think of how her trip to Paris is canceled and not about his urgent need to repair the family estate. Another instance where Undine lacks compassion towards Raymond de Chelles’ heirlooms is in chapter XLII, where she attempts to sell his family tapestries for money to go to Paris. “Is this your doing? he asked. His look and voice expressed something she had never known before…The letter was from Mr. Fleischhauer, who begged to transmit the Marquis de Chelles an offer for his Boucher tapestries…” (333). The act greatly enraged her husband, leading him to refer to her as an American woman trying too hard to fit into French society. “... that’s how you feel when you lay hands on things that are sacred to us! He stopped a moment… ‘You come among us from a country we don’t know, and can’t imagine, a country you care so little for that before you’ve been a day in ours you’ve forgotten the very house you were born in…” (334). The Marquis’ words were meant to come off as slightly offensive to his wife, as she has done everything possible to offend him in his estate. The quote shows how Undine has a lack of respect for the family business and how she only cares about obtaining money for Paris. A particular encounter that Undine has with Madame de Trézac helps to further support that she is an unsuccessful wife to Raymond de Chelles. Madame de Trézac explains to Undine that she needs to have a better understanding of the business language to be considered in the “right set” and a proper french wife. “But a woman has got to be something more than good-looking to have a chance to be intimate with them: she’s got to know what’s being said about things” (331). This quote shows how Undine lacks business knowledge and is seen as boring to her husband’s colleagues. She is offended by Madame de Trézac’s statement but does not ever learn about Raymond’s business affairs. 

Undine Spragg is a greedy woman who marries many men solely for the great riches they possess. When looking at the french model of successful and responsible wifehood, Undine is lacking in several aspects. A successful Frenchwoman is educated on her husband’s work and should be able to hold a conversation with her husband’s colleagues about business. Undine has proven time and time again that she does not understand the importance of this and she does not care to learn how to talk business with anyone, not even her husband.