Smith’s “Thirty-Eight Addressed to Mrs. H---Y” poem is a
very eloquent way of saying “you’re too good for him,” though with a quite dark
beginning.
It is interesting that the first thing she addresses is the
fear that women see when they see old, divorced “spinsters.” I think Smith
addresses this because it is a youthful concern that goes away with age because
Reason arrives. Smith sets up the structure quite well in that it takes halfway
through the poem, the “middle age” of the poem, to get to Reason and her
benefits. Once Smith gets to the middle age of the poem, tastefully says “you’re
too good for him” without even mentioning William Hayley. Though, it is a bit
shocking to me that she completely writes off William as a youthful indiscretion,
“glitt’ring toys of youth,” instead of a love gone wrong. I guess I’m still in “youth’s
unclouded scene” and so just don’t understand.
I definitely agree that the ways she portrays William could catch a reader off guard - not only does the metaphor of the toy portray him as a youthful indiscretion, but it allots her with the greater share of power in their marriage if she could figuratively use him as a plaything. This is particularly interesting when considering Smith's lack of power in her own life as the result of her marriage, which she alludes to in "To Dependence," though I think it explains her dismissive attitude towards Mr. H----. Women still lacked a great deal of power during this time despite increasing interest in women's rights during the French Revolution. Smith's spinsters may hold lower social positions but she empowers them with her diction, describing them as tough and "sharp" as well as unyielding and "starch." While Smith implies that women can transcend dependence due to the fact that they still have power over their emotions in "To Dependence," she seems to offer another alternative in Thirty Eight - the power of the mind.
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