Letter About Divorce

I thought that the letter from the man divorcing his wife was very interesting. I think that Professor McGrath brought up an idea that definitely didn’t cross my mind when I read this piece the first time around when he said the wife could have had depression. There were many expectations of women during this time period and if a woman did have a mental health issue like depression, it would be significantly harder to be up to par with a husband’s wishes without the necessary help. I think that the stigmas around mental health still exist today which is why it is so difficult for people to overcome their disorder, and I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like in the past when stigmas were just developed and people weren’t combating them. With the necessary care would his wife be what he wanted? Should that matter? I can’t say what the answer would have been, but I think in today’s world it would.