The Book of Margery Kempe

After reading the section from The Book of Margery Kempe, I must say that I found myself siding with her husband. In the beginning when Margery becomes "possessed" by devils and her own wickedness, her husband never leaves her side. While he could have become embarrassed and ashamed of his wife, he remained faithful to her, even when no one else would. From this situation, it is obvious that he can be characterized as an extremely patient and composed individual. He could have completely freaked out at the situation (like most people would do), but instead he refused to give up on Margery. Even when she is locked up due to her violent behavior, he is one waiting with the keys when she gets over her hysteria. Another example of his patience and understanding comes when Margery decides to start her own enterprises through ale and grain production. Instead of ridiculing her for her attempts, he remains supportive and lets her do her own thing. It is not until Margery decides that she no longer wants to sleep or eat with him that he decides that enough is enough. He finally stands up for what he feels like is an unfair situation, and for awhile gets Margery to at least eat with him on Fridays. Even this shows his patience, as most men of his day would not even consider ceasing to sleep with their wives. All this to say, I find Margery's husband the one who readers should sympathize with, and while I respect where she is coming from, I believe that Margery takes her beliefs a little too far.