A long-suffering woman who is childless and impoverished, Muni’s wife must worry each day about obtaining enough food to eat for the couple. It is often she who must go out and perform odd jobs to earn enough money to buy food as Muni, with his negative reputation in the village, is denied food and other items on credit from the local shopkeeper. Although readers may assume that Muni’s wife originally began working outside the home for reasons related to survival, Muni suggests that she now wields greater power over her husband as the primary breadwinner in the family. Muni’s wife reveals that patriarchal norms in Indian society are highly complex and nuanced, as she exerts more influence as the breadwinner in her family despite her ostensibly low status in society as a woman.
Muni’s Wife Quotes in A Horse and Two Goats
The A Horse and Two Goats quotes below are all either spoken by Muni’s Wife or refer to Muni’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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A Horse and Two Goats
Quotes
He knew that if he obeyed her she would somehow conjure up some food for him in the evening. Only he must be careful not to argue and irritate her… She was sure to go out and work – grind corn in the Big House, sweep or scrub somewhere, and earn enough to buy foodstuff and keep a dinner ready for him in the evening.
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The shopman had said that he was seventy. At seventy, one only waited to be summoned by God. When he was dead what would his wife do? They had lived in each other’s company since they were children… He had thrashed her only a few times in their career, and later she had the upper hand… He avoided looking at anyone [in the village; they all professed to be so high up, and everyone else in the village had more money than he. “I am the poorest fellow in our caste and no wonder that they spurn me, but I won’t look at them either.”
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Muni’s Wife Quotes in A Horse and Two Goats
The A Horse and Two Goats quotes below are all either spoken by Muni’s Wife or refer to Muni’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
A Horse and Two Goats
Quotes
He knew that if he obeyed her she would somehow conjure up some food for him in the evening. Only he must be careful not to argue and irritate her… She was sure to go out and work – grind corn in the Big House, sweep or scrub somewhere, and earn enough to buy foodstuff and keep a dinner ready for him in the evening.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The shopman had said that he was seventy. At seventy, one only waited to be summoned by God. When he was dead what would his wife do? They had lived in each other’s company since they were children… He had thrashed her only a few times in their career, and later she had the upper hand… He avoided looking at anyone [in the village; they all professed to be so high up, and everyone else in the village had more money than he. “I am the poorest fellow in our caste and no wonder that they spurn me, but I won’t look at them either.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
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