The characters in John Cheever's "The Country Husband"" are very important to the point that Cheever is trying to make. In the story, the characters are described in great detail in order to get the full textual understanding of each character and for the reader to become familiar with those who populate the story. He gives each character very different personalities and utilizes them as foundational blocks to set up the story. The main character is clearly the husband, Francis Weed. His wife, Julia Weed, is also given a large role in the story - Cheever uses her character to fill us in on town gossip and who's who in the story. Another important character is the household nanny, Anne Murchison. Cheever gives this character beauty and surrounds her with suspense.
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Mr. Francis Weed is introduced as a husband of a beautiful wife and the father of three children - the "all American family"". Mr. Weed is a business man and by all accounts, a successful one. He has his own office and receptionist. From the outside, Francis eye seems to have it all; a good job, a happy family, a nice house and a beautiful wife.
But Mr. Weeds doesn't seem happy. In fact, he's feeling a bit ignored. After being in a plane crash, nobody in his household seems to care at all about his brush with death. His kids are consumed with their own lives and his wife is only thinking about the next party she'll be attending. .
Next, Cheever describes to us Julia Weeds, the beautiful wife of Mr. Weeds. Cheever introduces her by saying "she is a pretty, intelligent woman, and the white in her hair is premature". This description sets up an image of Mrs. Weeds that we can use to picture her as the rest of the information he gives us in the story stacks up. Mrs. Weeds is a stay at home mom. She keeps the house clean and cooks the food that is on the table. She is a woman who likes to be involved in the community and is all about her appearance and the way she and her family look to others.