Rosemary Wolff is acutely affected by the oppressive patriarchal values present in American society. Although Wolff depicts his mother as someone who is free-spirited and optimistic, she is not immune from the pressure to find stability in a “nuclear family” and provide that for Jack, continuing in her marriage with Dwight despite being unhappy, “She still hoped this marriage would work, was ready to put up with almost anything to make it work. The idea of another failure was abhorrent to her.” In 1950’s America, the idea of a single mother, one independent from a man both emotionally and financially, was frowned upon and it is suggested that Rosemary stays in these relationships not only because of the abuse she suffered as a child, but because