On the surface, Doris Lessing’s protagonist had a perfect life. “Happily” married, financially secure, big house, healthy well-adjusted children, home help; what more could a woman want? The story is a product of its time (the early 1960s). Susan’s anguish about losing her independence and lack of fulfillment in life leads to depression, mental decline, and temporary escape from her demons in Room 19 of a seedy hotel. Too afraid of being ridiculed to confide in her husband and ask for help, she sees only one way out. Themes include loss of autonomy/identity, unsatisfying marriage, depression, communication breakdown, isolation, suicide.
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