including our understandings of history, revolved around male norms and values. In order for women to obtain equal rights, feminists believed that these narratives needed to be challenged. In this sense,The World's Wife is very much a reflection of second wave feminist ideals. Poems in the collection critique the male writing of history by presenting a feminine retelling of stories that either dismiss women entirely or depict women through a male lens.

This approach allows Duffy to represent women in a new light and challenge cultural beliefs about what a woman should or should not be. One set of beliefs she examines are those about women in the context of male-female relationships. One such poem is "Mrs. Lazarus." In the Bible, Lazarus is a man who was brought back to life after being dead for three days. The original story makes no mention of his wife, but Duffy imagines what her perspective on these events might be. In the poem, Mrs. Lazarus grieves the loss of her husband when he dies, but in the days before his resurrection, she discovers a freedom that she had not previously known. Duffy isn't necessarily suggesting that all women wish their husbands were dead, but she is critiquing the ways marriage can limit a woman's freedom.

Duffy also evaluates the idea that women who defy cultural norms should be viewed as villains. Some of her poems take the voice of notorious female villains. An example is "Delilah," a poem about a biblical figure who is villainized for cutting Samson's hair and taking away his strength as a result. In the poem, Duffy suggests that the relationship was abusive, and Delilah cut his hair to "teach him tenderness." The important thing isn't whether Duffy's interpretation of the story is historically accurate but rather that it reminds readers that the the "original" story leaves some questions unanswered as well.

It seems obvious to say that men are the underrepresented group in the collection, which technically is true. However, that's basically the point of Duffy's premise. When reading stories from only female voices, readers are asked to consider the ways that their worldview might be shaped by predominantly male voices. However, other critiques can be made of Duffy's work that can be made of second wave feminism in general. Second wave feminism was sometimes criticized for privileging the rights of straight, white, middle/upper class women. For example, workplace rights were a major focus of the movement, but in reality, working class women and women of color had been working outside of the home for years out of economic necessity. One way Duffy's work perpetuates this problem is through the narratives it chooses to retell. Duffy chooses mostly European myths and fairy tales and religious stories from the Western Christian perspective. It's important to remember that different cultures and religions have different ideas about gender, so even though she challenges some pervasive views about women, she does so through a mostly Western European lens. This means that her poems may not be accurate representations of women from other nationalities, religions, orientations, and so on. Duffy may not have done this on purpose, and in fact, speaking to narratives outside her own experience and identity may not have been wise. However, when analyzing the work, it's important not to universalize her view of womanhood to all women.