Week-End Marriage (1932) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film unfolds across three cities: New York, Buenos Aires, and St. Louis. New York represents the initial East Coast office world where Lola and Ken begin their relationship. Buenos Aires suggests a South American opportunity, while St. Louis becomes the setting where Lola advances her career and finds independence.

• settings
• locations
• new york
• buenos aires
• st louis
• cities

The film is set in the early 1930s, during the Prohibition era. This is evident from the presence of Luis the Bootlegger, a character that situates the story in this specific historical context where alcohol production and distribution were illegal.

• 1930s
• prohibition era
• time period
• 1932
• historical setting

The film explores three core themes: Gender Roles, Work & Independence, and Power & Communication. Gender Roles examines the tension between traditional marriage expectations and modern female autonomy. Work & Independence tracks Lola's professional growth and the financial shifting within the marriage. Power & Communication focuses on how misunderstandings and social pressure shape the couple's decisions.

• themes
• gender roles
• work independence
• power communication

The film presents a tug-of-war between old-fashioned marriage norms and modern female autonomy. Ken believes a husband must provide before committing, while Lola desires both love and professional independence. The narrative critiques the idea that a wife's value is defined solely by marriage, though the ending ultimately reinforces traditional expectations.

• gender roles
• feminism
• marriage expectations
• traditional values

Lola Davis Hayes, played by Loretta Young, is the protagonist, an ambitious, modern woman who desires both love and independence. She initially nudges Ken toward marriage through subtle manipulation, then pursues professional advancement after marriage. Her arc shows resilience as she balances personal ambition with marital expectations.

• lola davis
• loretta young
• protagonist
• main character

Ken Hayes, played by Norman Foster, is driven by old-fashioned principles. He wants to provide for a wife and family before committing to marriage. He grapples with career setbacks and insecurity when Lola's earnings surpass his own, revealing the fragility of traditional masculine pride.

• ken hayes
• norman foster
• husband
• masculine pride

Agnes Davis, played by Aline MacMahon, is Lola's sister-in-law who embodies early 20th-century domestic pressures. She encourages Lola to marry quickly and later exploits social norms to influence the couple. Her relationship with Jim highlights the tension between work and marriage within the family structure.

• agnes davis
• aline macMahon
• sister in law
• family pressure

Through Lola's career progression, receiving raises from $40 to $50 per week, the film shows her competence and ambition. However, the ending requires her to sacrifice her professional identity to save the marriage, suggesting the era's conservative norms limited true female independence despite the narrative's sympathetic portrayal of her ambitions.

• female independence
• career
• women's work
• ambition

The three settings contrast a bustling East Coast office world with a South American opportunity and Midwestern home life. These locales highlight social pressures around marriage and ambition, reflecting changing gender roles and the strain of balancing career with domestic expectations.

• settings contrast
• locations
• movement
• social pressure

Peter Acton, played by George Brent, is Lola's coworker in St. Louis who flirts and competes for her attention. He represents an alternative pathway to happiness, romance and professional recognition, outside the marriage, creating temptation and external pressure on Lola and Ken's relationship.

• peter acton
• george brent
• coworker
• romance
• temptation

The ending is decidedly bittersweet. The marriage is saved, but only through Lola's lie and the suppression of her professional identity. This reinforces the era's conservative norms rather than offering a truly progressive resolution, leaving the viewer with mixed feelings about the couple's future.

• ending
• bittersweet
• resolution
• marriage outcome

The film uses dialogue and confrontations to reveal how power dynamics shape choices within marriage. Lola's passive-aggressive tactics to push marriage, Agnes's controlling stance, and Ken's insecurity all contribute to negotiations about who leads and who yields. The couple's tensions stem from shifting financial roles and traditional expectations.

• power dynamics
• marriage
• control
• negotiation
• husband wife