Essay Questions

Why is Millie infatuated that an economically empowered woman will get a financially stable man for marriage?

It is the early 1920s and Millie is a young woman who is anticipating getting a better life. Millie believes that going to live in the city can improve her chances of getting empowered and in the process find a financially stable man to settle down with. Based on her experiences, most women are languishing in poverty because they got married to broke men. Therefore, Millie's thinking is that she deserves a financially stable man. She is obsessed to get a rich man because she does not want to live in poverty.

What is the primary theme in the Thoroughly Modern Millie?

Courting emerges as the primary theme in the Thoroughly Modern Millie. Most of the characters are still young and they are having dreams of getting married to partners of their choice. For instance, Millie is a young woman who is fantasizing about how she is going to get financially empowered and get married to a financially stable man. Later Millie dates Jim and they develop a long-term relationship. Dorothy is going out with Ching. Graydon is also courting Dorothy. Therefore, the entire book discusses various relationships among the characters to get a life partner.

Is the character Millie allegorically used by the author?

The author emblematically uses the character, Millie, in the Thoroughly Modern Millie to represent the aspirations of the modern woman. Unlike in the past, modern young women want to choose partners of their own. For instance, just like Millie, most young ladies want to get financially stable partners who can empower them to achieve their goals. The young women are also relocating to cities to search for opportunities so that they can be empowered. Throughout the story, Millie is considering herself as a modern woman. Consequently, indeed, Millie is symbolically used by the author to represent the aspirations of young women.