The old Stalker

I enjoyed the poem, "The Young Housewife" by William Carlos Williams. At first glance it seems as though this man is just describing a woman that he saw. However, as I continued to read I got the feeling that he was fantasizing more than observing. In the first stanza when he states that the housewife, "moves about in negligee", you get the feeling he is describing, or rather directing a fantasy. This is how he wishes to see her. You then realize that he actually can't see her when he says, "behind the wooden walls of her husband's house". This man has probably made this drive everyday on his way to work and is entertained by imagining what the housewife might be doing. This is more clear in the next stanza when he admits that this has been happening over the course of time by saying, "Then again". This is not just a single observation, this is the culmination of a few chance viewings and many fantasies along the way. In addition, it is interesting that he compares the housewife to a fallen leaf. Does he mean that she has fallen from grace, a woman ready to be tempted and taken advantage of? This can further be questioned when he goes on to describe how his car runs over leaves. Is this supposed to represent his domination of the housewife? Perhaps he understands the power he could have over this woman, that he has so thoughtfully imagined needing him as much as he needs her. In an essay on William Carlos Williams Marjorie Perloff describes the possibility that this stanza is describing a rape fantasy. She describes that even though this is possibly a need to have what another man has, this fantasy is quickly overruled by the normalcy of this mans life and his responsibilities. He settles his demons by deciding to simply, "bow and pass smiling."