How did life in Hallowell in 1789 surprise you? Did the characters act as you expected for the historical period? What revelations were most interesting to you? How does our contemporary notion of the American dream apply to these characters?
I am just going to mention Martha and her personality. It is 1789 when women have no say. They are to be wives, mothers, taking care of the family and home. I am pleased that is not the case with Martha. As a very young woman she is educated as a midwife. She is a strong woman with a strong personality. She says what she means to men like the young doctor who is new to town and to North who could actually do her harm.
I found the living conditions to be very harsh but the people had resilience. Martha, in particular, withstood the societal oppression in which women were not respected and were to keep silent. She was a courageous woman striving for justice.
Though I was aware of the expected and restrictive role of women during this time period the book especially since it was a accurate work of historical fiction gave ray of hope that some women broke out of those restrictions and contributed to society even if there might consequences.
Gender oppression was the norm during that era. However, Martha defied that norm by being educated and practicing midwifery with the skill that defied that of a know-it-all Harvard educated doctor. In spite of her stature in the community, she still needed Ephaim, her husband, present before she was allowed to testify in court
I found life to be very hard for these people. I particularly liked how they made candles. Taking care of your family was a lot of work.
Unless they had been gifted with land or family money, life for most of the residents was hard. Folks had to be self-sufficient, pragmatic, and have an immediate goal of survival. I have to agree with all of the prior comments about the added burden of being female. It seemed that most daughters were raised to get married early, take care of the domestic running of a home, & not have any expectation or hope for education or a life beyond. What I did find shocking about events in the story was just how exploited women were during that time period–both sexually and by the legal system.
After reading other historical fiction novels set in that time frame, the life in Hallowell did not surprise me. Women were second class citizens regardless of their knowledge, personality or abilities. Martha was definitely a woman ahead of her time.