In Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates paints the misery that April and Frank Wheeler endure as a couple in the American suburbs in the 1960s. Throughout the novel, the Wheelers repeatedly blame their despairs, monotonous lives, and altercations on the suburbs. Consciously or not, the suburbs and their tags influence the Wheelers’ actions and interactions with each other. The suburban stereotypes heavily influence Frank’s actions. In the beginning of the book, Frank views the suburbs as the source of his despair and emptiness. When April tells Frank to leave her alone after the Laurel Players’ performance, Frank refutes April’s request by saying, “I don’t happen to fit the role of dumb, insensitive suburban husband” (26). Because Frank does not want to be associated with suburbs and their tags, he repeatedly tries to comfort and talk to April instead of giving her a moment of peace. By doing so, Frank believes that he is not conforming to …show more content…
Though Frank and April has reached a consent that they need to escape from the suburbs, Frank betrays the agreement after realizing that he has hope in the suburbs. When Pollock offers Frank the opportunity to work with the computers by Pollock, Pollock says, “talk it over with your wife -- and that’s always the main thing, isn’t it? Where the hell would any of us be without ‘em?”(217). Pollock’s words represent the stereotypical image of the suburban household: the husband supports the family while the wife supports the husband. Despite Frank’s various attempts to detach himself from the suburban setting, he now sees hope in the suburbs because he begins to feel that his value is being slowly recognized and he can achieve his hopes and dreams even in the suburbs. While Frank is blinded by the future available to him, April, who continues to suffer from the monotonous nature of the suburbs, questions the longevity of his