turns to her pattern of doing what she thinks Arthur wants and shaping herself in a way that will be more appealing to him. Though I was tempted sometimes, I resisted the impulse to confess. Arthur=s tastes were Spartan, and my early life and innermost self would have appalled him. It would be like asking for a steak and getting a slaughtered cow. I think he suspected this; her certainly headed off my few tentative attempts at self-revelation. (Atwood 215) She lies to Arthur about her past, never telling him of her strained relationship with her mother or her battles with her weight, all in an effort to become the type of wife that she thinks Arthur wants. Joan feels that her real identity isn=t good enough, so she creates one. Her primary goal is being an ideal wife for Arthur and making sure that he is not displeased with her. AI then discovered to my dismay that Arthur expected me to cook, actually cook, out of raw ingredients such as flour and lard. I=d never cooked in my life....But for Arthur=s sake I would try anything@ (Atwood 208). Joan=s attempts to cook fail, but she keeps cooking because she thinks that Arthur enjoyed watching her blunder: AMy failure was a performance and Arthur was the audience. His applause kept me going@ (Atwood 209). Joan repeatedly makes herself look silly by trying to cook and failing miserably, yet she continues just to please Arthur. When Joan finally does do something without worrying about Arthur=s opinions (the writing and publishing of her book of poetry, Lady Oracle), it is met with hostility by Arthur. The poems contained in Joan=s book give insight into how Joan really feels about her marriage to Arthur, even though she denies that the book is about him. Just as with Paul, Joan=s first act of doing something for herself creates static in her relationship with Arthur. Joan goes even further and has an affair, further asserting her own needs and identity, instead of Arthur=s. ...
