Characterization, Themes and Style of Ulrich's Good Wives
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Good wives
Introduction
In this article, I am going to summarize Ulrich's Good Wives. I will also analyze the book in terms of characterization, themes and style.
Good wives are a study of women concerning their roles. It is about women in Northern New England between 1650 and 1750. The book has three parts each titled after a woman in the Bible. These biblical characters exhibited feminine traits that were being advanced in the New England society. The book looks at the ideal situation and compares it with the reality in New England at the time. It looks at the limitations women faced in the society.
In part one, titled Bathsheba, Urlich looks at the woman as a virtuous housewife. Bathseba is looked at as a godly woman. Her industry magnifies the roles given to the woman. Women in New England were involved in various trades, which included manufacturing, agriculture and trade. Ulrich describes three scenarios each illustrating these roles; the first one is in the farm, the second one in the coastal town and the third one in the frontier (Ulrich 18-33).
Women are seen as performing the role of the deputy, deputizing the husband in the home. The woman in this role is viewed as inferior to her husband. However, her opinion is considered in the decisions of the husband and if the husband is incapable of carrying out his responsibility, the wife can take up his role (Ulrich 36). He emphasizes that the role of the wife as a deputy husband is not that of independence. He sees this as a contradiction of logic (Ulrich 37). In this case, the home plays an important role as the centre of economic transactions and communication. The gender roles are made distinct but flexible (Ulrich 50).
Women were also supposed to be friendly neighbors. In this sense, they interacted with those of the same social class and those above and below them. They were to do this based on hard work and love. In this case, therefore, women were not supposed to be idle gossips but their interactions are to be of benefit to the society and the family as well.
Women are supposed to be good housewives even as they worked to be beautiful. This however seemed impractical but Ulrich shows it is a possible reality. In this sense, women, spend much of their time adorning themselves. This adornment should however not be done at the expense of their duty in the home. They had an important role to play as housewives, which could not be sacrificed on the altar of beauty.
Part two looks at women in relation to Eve. The woman is viewed as a mother. The troubles women go through including travails of childbirth are explored in detail. The woman is accorded spiritual equality with man. This is however not to be confused as equality in everything. In the Christian sense, a wife should be obedient to her husband. The relationship here between the wife and husband is seen in comparison to the relationship between Christ and the church. In this sense, the husband should offer himself sacrificially to his wife. On the other hand, the woman is to be submissive to her own husband. She should be obedient to her husband just as the church should submit to Christ's authority and obey His commands.
Women as mothers represent an affectionate nature where nurturing of children takes place in an authoritarian system (Ulrich 153). The 19th century conception of a mother however looks at a woman giving her love to many children (Ciaccio 10). In this case, the woman is not just a mother to her own children alone but to all children that come to interact with her. She should therefore offer guidance and motherly love to them regardless of where they come from.
Jael is the third biblical woman character that Ulrich looks at. Her heroic act of luring the enemy is highlighted here. The woman therefore becomes a nurturer and a killer (Ciaccio 5). The woman's act of killing in defense is looked at as heroic rather than an abominable act. Jael's act of luring the enemy helps the community rid itself of a formidable enemy. Thus, her act is not to be considered a crime but an act that protects the community.
There is however, a way that limits this consideration of a woman killing as heroic. The killing of children, especially one's own, is considered criminal and not worthy of praise. Therefore, a woman who performs such an act is punished to death. The woman as mentioned earlier is supposed to show motherly love. Killing of children negates this love by the woman. It is therefore criminal despite the reasons the woman may give for such an act.
Women who are captured in war could stay with their captors. They would in deed be married to their captors (Price 23). This is especially so if they are young. These women become part of the society where they are captured. They are inducted to the affairs of this society.
Ulrich also studies women in their role in the church. Here, they promote religion and bestow another form of power. They protected their husbands’ integrity (Price 32). This is especially if the husband was a church minister. The wife guarded the husband's reputation. Women in this sense had a duty of ensuring that their husband's standing in the society was beyond reproach. This gives the man spiritual authority that he needs to guide the community in which he is a minister.
CONCLUSION
Women play a major role in the society that cannot be overemphasized. It is to be realized her role has changed drastically over time and with this change greater independence on her part. Equality has been achieved with the woman not being seen as inferior to man.