Mrs. Wiggins

Content Warning: This section depicts sexual assault, anti-gay bias, anti-Black racism, lynching, intimate partner violence, graphic violence, murder, termination of a pregnancy, and death by suicide. The source text uses the period-specific term “colored” to refer to Black characters and employs period-specific language to describe sexual orientation, mental health, and intellectual disability.

Several characters in Mrs. Wiggins demonstrate that a positive reputation and appearance of respectability hold critical value in the world of the novel. Maggie’s character arc illustrates how maintaining status or the status quo can feel more important than living according to certain principles of virtue, morality, or practical use.

Maggie’s investment in her status and reputation in the neighborhood is due to the lack of status she experienced as a young woman whose parents weren’t respected because of their habits or professions. She appreciates the social elevation of marriage to Hubert even more because of the contrast it poses to the teasing and insults she received from her peers, not to mention a reprieve from the sexual abuse by Mr. Royster. Hubert places the same value Maggie does on upholding appearances, but for the opposite reasons; he comes from a respected family that the community looks up to, and he fears the secret of his sexuality will destroy that reputation and harm his relationships, especially with his family.

Both characters work together to uphold the appearance of a conventional heterosexual marriage, regarding this as a kind of safety or insurance. Apart from their wishes, they also agree that having a child will add to this appearance of “normalcy” and thus put off questions and prevent gossip that might otherwise harm their personal networks and job prospects. For Maggie, appearing as one half of a heteronormative marriage, one that conforms to the accepted conventions of their time and culture, rewards her with improved social standing and friendship with Jessie Tucker. For Hubert, the appearance of being the typical heterosexual husband shields him from violence that is otherwise directed at those in their community who express LGBTQ+ sexualities.

Acceptance within the community is not only a source of safety but also a kind of social glue and currency. Maggie’s gumbo, for instance, enhances her reputation and ensures her welcome at community dinners, potlucks, and neighboring homes. The necessity for keeping up appearances leads to concerns when she plots her murders; she wonders what Mrs. Dowler’s white neighbors or the police will think about seeing a Black woman driving a hearse through their neighborhood, for example, and she’s aware that people might see her walking to or from Daisy’s house. Preserving her reputation is key to ensuring Maggie doesn’t fall under suspicion about these deaths.

This value placed on appearances is one of the structural ironies of the novel, given the difference between appearance and actuality. Hubert is a man people admire, particularly Jessie, because of how well he appears to fulfill his role as a husband to Maggie. Maggie isn’t a suspect for murder via gumbo because she is known for helping her neighbors and appearing kind and generous. Jessie further demonstrates how gossip functions as a social glue, bonding friendships over a shared interest in neighborhood concerns, but it can also pose a threat to one’s reputation if others see one engaging in activities they consider suspect. In a world rife with anti-Black discrimination and white-on-Black violence, furthermore, the appearance of docility or obedience can save a Black person’s life, as Maggie realizes when she submits to Oswald’s sexual assault and as Jessie’s story of Orville working for the Ku Klux Klan leader demonstrates. Appearances, more than actuality, preserve one’s status and can ensure safety in a world where visible differences like skin color or conformance to social norms and rules assign one’s value.