“Rice Husband,” which is narrated by Lena St. Clair, discusses the crumbling marriage of Lena and her husband, Harold. The problems with Lena and Harold’s marriage are largely based upon money. Because Harold feared that money would corrupt their relationship, he told Lena, “As long as we keep the money thing separate, we’ll always be sure of our love for each other.” As the story unfolds, however, it becomes clear that Harold’s attempt to avoid financial issues only made it an even bigger factor in the relationship. He even insisted that he and Lena keep separate checking accounts and split the cost of all shared expenses evenly. As a result, Harold initiated the use of a list on the refrigerator to record each person’s expenses. Ironically, Harold, who emphasized the importance of keeping the issue of money out of their relationship, actually made finances the single most important factor in their marriage.
The list on Harold and Lena’s refrigerator is a manifestation of the financial conflicts within Lena and Harold’s relationship; however, the true reasons for the collapse of their marriage run much deeper and became far more complex. Harold insisted that costs be split evenly, yet he ensured that he made seven times more money than Lena, who had given him the idea to create and head his own firm in the first place. Lena actually gave Harold the idea for “theme eating,” the focus of his firm, but he took all the credit for the idea and left Lena making much less money. This shows that, while Harold emphasized equality in the relationship, he actually enjoyed having superiority. Harold began to take advantage of Lena, and his approach to the relationship became very objective. For example, when Lena admitted wholeheartedly to Harold how much she loved him, he had not really listened or heard the emotion in her voice because was only focused on the things he had to accomplish that morning. As a result, he simply replied, “I love you, too. Did you lock the door?” While the reader is sure to feel sympathy for Lena because of her situation, the fact remains that Lena is also partially to blame for the failure of the marriage, for she never made any attempt to express her distress to Harold. Harold is a flat character, or a character that does not develop in the course of a story. After all the many years of his relationship with Lena, he never changed and never once made his love for Lena the focus of his marriage to her. Despite the fact that Lena was well aware of this, however, she never stood up for herself or made an effort to change anything.
“ ‘It doesn’t matter,’ I say… ‘I knew it would happen.’ ‘Then why you don’t stop it?’ asks my mother. And it’s such a simple question.” I believe that this is the most important quote in “Rice Husband” because it shows Lena’s internal struggle as she wonders why she never did anything to stop the collapse of her marriage to Harold. I believe that this situation is something that many readers can connect to. Many people, including myself, are prone to make the same mistake that Lena did: being so afraid to take a stand that they allow harm to come to themselves. I believe that this passage from “Rice Husband” is incredibly effective because it reminds us all to stand up for the things in our lives that are worth saving.
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