“To Room Nineteen” is a short story by Doris Lessing that is considered by many to be one of her best. The story itself is part of Lessing’s A Man and Two Women collection of short stories, which was written in 1963. “To Room Nineteen” takes place in 1960s London, and as such, addresses the historical context of women’s rights and their role in the conservative London society of the time.
The narrative tells the story of Susan, a middle-aged woman living in mid-twentieth century London. Given the time period, Susan’s life revolves around her family, where her days are spent catering to her husband and her four children, and maintaining their home. As she plays the role that society has assigned to her, from all outward appearances, Susan and her husband Matthew appear to be a model couple—perfect even. With a wonderful house in the suburbs and four children, it seems to everyone else that the two have made the best choices in life.
The seeming peace of the family is soon ruptured when the youngest children are sent off to school. Susan begins questioning her life and life choices. She wonders if the choices she and her husband have made are indeed the correct choices, as everyone believes they are. This rift in Susan’s life due to her thoughts is soon widened when she discovers that Matthew has been having extramarital affairs. With the veneer of her perfect family life gone, Susan sets out on a journey of self-discovery with heartbreaking consequences, eventually ending with Susan going mad.
Lessing is noted for her craftsmanship in honing stories that effectively critique the social settings of her time. As such, “To Room Nineteen” addresses the struggles of women in 1960s London, including a myriad of internal conflicts. The story does an excellent job of approaching the dichotomy between the intellect and instinct. One example of this is witnessed in Susan’s questioning of her life choices. This dichotomy between intellect and instinct, in the “right” choices versus the “wrong” choices, is symbolic of the endless, universal struggle between the mind and heart. It also highlights the travails of “thinking outside the box” for women of Susan’s day.
During the 1960s, Englishwomen like Susan were plagued by London’s social conservatism. This conservative approach was a staunch reminder of London’s past. And yet it was allowed by society to continue unabated, thereby stifling the possibility of women seeking personal freedoms, such as choice and individual wish fulfillment. Women like Susan were not able to live fulfilled lives, as is evidenced in her rote life as a housewife in a cookie-cutter scenario where kids, a home and a husband equated to bliss.
Susan is expected to live her peaceful life without thinking much about it. This is highlighted perfectly by Lessing when Susan begins to question her life and finds that her husband has been having affairs. This discovery symbolically shows how the peaceful, perfect lives that people lived were not as ideal as they seemed from the outside. If Susan was the “perfect” wife and mother, one who used logic to govern her actions, society would have her never finding out about her husband’s infidelity. Likewise, she would never begin a journey of self-discovery once finding out something like this either. Once she begins to evolve as a woman, however, she begins her own, enlightened journey. Due to societal constraints, however, she suffers for her individualism.
For women of Susan’s day, Lessing shows that the future often seemed bleak. For Susan, this reality led to madness, a symbolic choice on Lessing’s part that ultimately shows how the restrictions placed on women are not only socially damaging, but personally damaging as well. In the case of Susan, who is symbol for all women, her descent into madness shows how the mind reacts to the heart’s inability to choose freely. The either-or dichotomy that was forced upon women was not a viable choice, in the end.
Lessing’s story ultimately addresses several themes. She takes issue with the rights of women and the unfair restrictions placed upon them. Both of these themes are addressed in Susan’s journey of self-discovery, and are highlighted in the startling end result for Susan on account of these restrictions. Her madness is a symptom of the time. Moreover, her madness is possible because she dares to be an individual, to be free and make her own choices, apart from societal expectations. By showing the devastation leveled upon Susan, Lessing thematically shows how women in general fall victim to society’s standards, especially when they are not given an active voice in their own choices, choices which also impact their future. “To Room Nineteen” is a carefully crafted critique on social mores that, as many critics and readers have suggested, effectively highlights why Lessing is considered one of the greatest short story writers of her time.