The Stepford Wives

Bobbie writes a letter to the government citing her concerns about local pollution, but she gets a reply saying there are no contaminants in the area. She decides she wants to move sooner, and she and Joanna go to a nearby town to look at houses. That night, Joanna lies in bed after having sex with Walter, feeling as if he has been distant and dissatisfied lately. She asks if he is having an affair, and he assures her she is worrying over nothing. She goes shopping with Bobbie a few days later, and Bobbie tells Joanna that she and her husband, Dave, are going away for a weekend together. Joanna thinks back to Charmaine and how she changed after a similar weekend. Joanna sells a few photographs to a local agency and celebrates her mild success.

Joanna goes to the library to pick up some books and meets a woman who just moved to Stepford. The woman is Black and belongs to the first Black family to move to Stepford. She greets Joanna warmly and introduces herself as Ruthanne Hendry. The name sounds familiar to Joanna, and Ruthanne reveals she wrote a children’s book. The book features a young girl who “actually does something besides make tea for her dolls” (72) and is one that Joanna appreciates.