*Please note this trailer includes profanity.
Fame vs. Family
Before her husband’s infidelity, Midge’s life was simple: be a model housewife and enjoy the privileges of the upper-class life. After Joel decides to abandon her, Midge learns to take care of herself and not depend on anyone else. Eventually, her desires extend beyond the necessities of life: Midge wants to be a star. She wants fame and success. However, Midge has two children and she desires to be a good daughter to her parents. Thus, a major theme of the series is a question that women have been facing for decades: Is it possible to “have it all”? In other words, can women have both a career and a family?
Midge isn’t the only female character who faces this alleged dilemma. Joel finds a new girlfriend, Mei Lin. When she becomes pregnant, Joel plans to marry her and start a new family. However, she desires to become a doctor, so she has a secret abortion, which devastates Joel. Mei’s reasoning is simple: a woman can’t have it all. She wants to be a doctor and starting a family at that point in her life would get in the way of her dream. Unlike Midge, Mei does not try to balance a career and family—Mei chooses a career.
While Midge does not explicitly choose career over family the way Mei did, she often does so through her choices. Early in her career Midge works during the day and performs stand-up at night. As she becomes more popular, she begins touring the world. The viewer can’t help wondering, Who is taking care of the kids? Joel claims his responsibility of caring for his children by having them stay with him in his office at his father’s business. But he only has them half the time. Even though he works, he is still home with the kids, while Midge usually is not.
The final season contains many flash-forwards, in which we see the result of Midge’s stardom. In the future, her daughter is in therapy because of issues with her mother. Midge’s son works in Israel and his fiancé dislikes Midge because of her career and lifestyle. Over the decades, Midge marries multiple times, her business and personal relationship with Susie end, and Joel is imprisoned over a deal he made with the mob to free Midge from their stake in her career. Midge ends up immensely successful, but it seems that her personal life is a disaster.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows us the challenges of maintaining a family and a career, and how the pursuit of one directly affects the other. This balance is often harder on women, as they are the ones who bear and nurture children, which gives them a stronger natural connection to their children than fathers. Yet the work-family balance is also difficult for men. There are only so many hours in the day; more time at work means less time at home and vice versa. What are some things we must keep in mind as we seek to manage our family lives and careers?
Family First
If you have—or desire to have—a family, remember that they should be a top priority. Our jobs are important in providing for ourselves and for our families, but our families need more than just money—they need us. Children need a mother and a father who are active and engaged in their lives. Parents must consider this when voluntarily working extra hours or when pursuing a promotion. A better position may provide higher pay, but it may also require more time at work or more travel, which means less time with family.
Be Content
When Joel abandons Midge, she can no longer be a housewife, she needs to get a job to provide for her children. This is the sad reality of many women in similar circumstances. Single and divorced mothers face an enormous burden both to work and to take care of their children on their own. However, Midge wants more. She enjoys the finer things of life, especially clothing. She loves her parents’ lavish apartment. Midge also wants to be a star. Thus, she works a day job and performs at night. She travels the country and overseas to improve her reputation. Like any single mother, Midge works extremely hard; however, it isn’t just to care for her family. Much of it is to fulfill her concept of success and to maintain her lifestyle; as a result, her relationships suffer. Midge could be satisfied with a career that affords her more time with her children, but she wants to be a star (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Unlike Midge, we must learn to live humbly. The Bible teaches us that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6) and to “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5a). Instead of seeking fame and worldly success, we should strive “to lead a quiet life” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). It is not wrong to be successful, but we should be careful to define success as God does, not pursuing the world’s idea of success above all else (especially not above God and family). Instead, let us strive for excellence and pride in our work. Let wealth not be a means to an end, but simply a way to provide for ourselves, our families, and those in need.
Everything is Meaningless
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind,” declares the author of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1:14). He claims to be wiser than any previous ruler of Jerusalem and to have great knowledge (v. 16). Yet he finds all the pursuits of this world to be meaningless. This seems to be a very bleak outlook on life; however, this is an honest assessment of the temporary pursuits of this world: wealth, power, and fame. The writer says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” How do we overcome such bleakness? The author concludes, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (12:13).
What good is trying to “have it all” if we lose ourselves or our relationships in the process? As Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36). The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows us a woman who is brave and hardworking, yet Midge does these things to gain her own success. How many celebrities in the real world appear to have it all, yet are broken on the inside? We see the headlines: divorces, drug addictions, even suicides. Prosperity is not bad, but neither does it guarantee happiness. We must learn to focus on what truly matters in life: God, family, and community.
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