To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing - Literature review Example

The social pressure attached with the couple’s reputation as a compatible married couple combined with her familial and marital problems add up to Susan’s desire to enjoy a quiet time on her own which she eventually found at Fred’s hotel particularly inside room number nineteen. It is having solitude that enabled her to recharge her inner strength and keep up with the everyday challenges in life. Upon analyzing the whole story, Susan herself has her own shortcomings. Even if she and her husband decided that Susan should stay with the children up to the time wherein the children will need lesser guidance, Susan should have searched for ways to maintain her social life to prevent her from becoming burnt out from her responsibilities at home.

Another factor that made her marital relationship flat is the fact that she stayed focused on her work as a housewife without finding ways to rekindle her relationship with Matthew. This made her husband tempted in getting involved in extramarital affairs. Since Susan is mainly responsible for managing the big house together with the specific needs of housekeepers including her children and husband, she could barely find time for herself or even go out and spend time with her friends. Work and personal life should always be the balance to prevent a person from being burnt out.

The shortcomings of Mrs. Rawlings in terms of managing the family lies behind the fact that Mrs. Rawlings was stayed too focused on her main responsibilities as a wife and a mother to her four children.