48 pages 1 hour read

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Wife Of His Youth

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1898

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Answer Key

Reading Check

1. Poetry (Part 1)

2. “[T]he upward process of absorption” (Part 1)

3. 25 years (Part 2)

4. His reflection in the mirror (Part 2)

Short Answer

1. The “Blue Vein Society” is a social club in the North for light-skinned Black Americans, as its name derives from having skin so white that blue veins can be seen. With the exception of a few members, only those with “character and culture” as well as “free birth” are able to join. (Part 1)

2. Mrs. Dixon, a newcomer to Groveland, is a young widow who has light skin and a large life insurance left from her late husband. Mr. Ryder is taken with her and decides to host a ball where he will ask her to marry him. (Part 1)

3. Liza, formerly enslaved, is searching for her husband, who escaped from being sold by their enslaver before the end of the war. She spent the last 25 years searching for him. Mr. Ryder offers many possible solutions as to why she has not found him, for example, he died or found another wife, but Liza is resolute that he is still alive and looking for her. (Part 2)

4. At the ball, Mr. Ryder shares Liza’s story, followed by another story of a man who, after learning his wife was sold into slavery, moved to the North where he embraced a new life and slowly forgot about the past—until he saw his wife 25 years later.

Related Titles

By Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

Po' Sandy

Charles W. Chesnutt

Po' Sandy

Charles W. Chesnutt

Plot Summary

logo

The Conjure Woman

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Conjure Woman

Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

The Goophered Grapevine

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Goophered Grapevine

Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

The House Behind the Cedars

Charles W. Chesnutt

The House Behind the Cedars

Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

The Marrow of Tradition

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Marrow of Tradition

Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

The Passing of Grandison

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Passing of Grandison

Charles W. Chesnutt

Study Guide

logo

The Sheriff's Children

Charles W. Chesnutt

The Sheriff's Children

Charles W. Chesnutt