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Originally Posted by Finnien  I'd say he definitely saw marriage as the former life-boat situation - protect and provide for your wife and children at all costs, even if it means your life. As to the latter, there's enough of his quotes in other novels to make me question any kind of single captaincy, such as 'Never tell a man more than he needs to know - it'll trouble him unnecessarily' or something to that effect. I can't think of too many situations where women ever did something they didn't want to do - unless it was to prove to a man that they were right in the first place. And, come to think of it, I believe that's almost exactly what is said by the end of the Honeymoon section. So, marriage is definitely not a one-captain situation. |
I was trying to do some homework on both Virginia and Leslyn based on Liz's comment earlier...to see if I could discover any references to his real life marriages. There isn't much concrete evidence of how his views played out in real life.
There is very little at all on Leslyn, other than it is generally accepted she was a bright, gifted woman...that they had an "open" marriage (actually eluded to acknowledged and accepted extramarital activities) and that she became an alcoholic and the marriage soured quickly, with Heinlein leaving when she applied for divorce. (Hmm...sounds a bit like Farnham's Grace here)
As far as Ginny is concerned, again there is not much detail on their personal relationship other than most that knew them found that they were deeply committed to each other. "They married in 1948 and shared what was considered by those who knew them to be an ideal marriage."..."Thereafter, the two were inseparable; those who knew them spoke often of their intense and abiding love for each other. She became his closest companion, aiding him in his writing, and traveling the world with him."
There is also significant talk of the role she played in his career...
Many of Heinlein's books were dedicated to her. Virginia, or "Ginny" as she preferred to be called, was his sounding board and source of ideas; she originated the idea that became Stranger in a Strange Land. She was his first reader and trusted critic. Robert Heinlein once said she was "smarter, better, and more sensible than I am." In a 1961 letter, he said, "She is what I feel to be a good person in the word's simplest and plainest meaning. Which includes lashing out with her claws on some occasions when others may consider it improper. I don't give a damn whether Ginny is 'proper' or not; I like her. I like her values." At the end of one of his later books, Job: A Comedy of Justice, the final sentence has been read by many as Robert Heinlein's own tribute to his beloved wife: "Heaven is where Margrethe is."
There is also much talk of her amazing abilities...
She went to the Packer Collegiate Institute, a college preparatory high school, where she finished in three-and-a-half years, always on the honor roll. She attended New York University, majoring in chemistry. She lettered in swimming, diving, basketball, and field hockey. She also reached national competitive levels in figure skating, the sport that became her lifelong passion. In the late 1950s, she served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for Skating. In time, she came to speak over seven languages, including French, Latin, Italian, and Russian.
She also was in the military and actually outranked Heinlein. She worked with him on the classified defense work..."She served as his assistant on several classified development projects as a chemist and aviation test engineer".
It is believed that most of his strong red headed women characters were modeled after her...
Readers have often remarked on the strength, intelligence, and power of his female characters; his fictional women were often based on Virginia Heinlein. As science fiction writer Spider Robinson said, "several of Heinlein's women bear a striking resemblance to his wife Virginia."
While it doesn't explicity say anywhere how their marriage worked, I find it difficult to think that such a woman would be comfortable taking a back seat, or second fiddle in the marriage. In short, I'd have to agree that it doesn't appear that he believed in a "one captain" marriage.
PS...could find nothing on his first marriage other than he had one. During his divorce with Leslyn it states "Strangely the divorce papers show that Heinlein had already been married and divorced prior to the marriage to Leslyn; the identity and fate of the first Mrs. Heinlein have remained a closely guarded secret."