The Standard Household-Effect Company (from Literature and Life)

"The Standard Household-Effect Company (from Literature and Life)" by William Dean Howells, is a thought-provoking look at the challenges of keeping house and managing a home, possibly published in the late 1800s. The book contrasts the difficulties of keeping a modern home up with the more straightforward ways people used to live. Through chats between characters, the author shines a light on how being too focused on having things and the stress of keeping up a home can be a lot to handle. The main character talks with a friend about how hard keeping a home has become and how it doesn't compare to how things used to be. They complain about the stress and work that comes with having so many things, which sparks an idea for a "Standard Household-Effect Company" that would own and take care of all household items. This would let women escape the constant stress of managing a home and the expectations that come with it. This conversation shows a struggle between wanting a comfortable, personal space and the heavy load of owning and caring for possessions, which makes us think about who we are and what society expects of us. In the end, the friend's somewhat crazy idea is really meant to criticize how much we care about having things and the never-ending cycle of buying more that weighs down our lives.