Green Blog

By Bridgette Gregory

Woman in the Nineteenth Century by Margaret Fuller

The problem that Fuller’s individual is facing is a woman’s lack individuality in society. Fuller is fighting against the inequality of woman. “God has given her a mind of her own” (1701). Fuller wants women to treat each other as individuals. “Seek out these degraded women, give them tender sympathy, counsel, employment. Take the place of mothers, such as might have saved them originally” (1709). In doing so, she hopes that men will begin to treat women as individuals as well.

The French Revolution developed the idea of individuality. The National Assembly, in 1789, wrote The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Declaration’s idea was that everyone was a Frenchman and all Frenchmen were equal. There was religious freedom for all, including the Jews, and for women. In Delacroix’s painting “Liberty leading the people,” Liberty is a woman carrying a flag, leading the people (men) to freedom. This was a new idea and extremely radical. However, in Fuller’s time, about 100 years later, women in America still do not have this sense of individuality inspired by the French Revolution.

Fuller wants women to be self-reliant, not need a man to live their life. “Let her works as she will” (1711). “I think women need…a much greater range of occupation than they have, to rouse their latent powers” (1716). In class, it was discussed how a man holding a door open for a woman is, according to Fuller, narcissistic behavior because the man is saying that the woman is not strong enough to hold the door open herself. Therefore, the man is the stronger, more dominant being and by holding the door open for the woman he is complimenting himself on his strength.

Individuality is a matter of economics to many, especially with the ideas of Adam Smith and laissez-faire. According to Smith, governments should encourage their population to be individually selfish. He believed that when people were allowed to be selfish with their products and businesses that the economy would prosper. Smith’s laissez-faire helped in many countries including the United States. If this idea were taken as an approach to women’s equality there would be twice as much of the population looking out for their self-interest which could only help the economy more.

The Life of P.T. Barnum by P.T. Barnum

Bethel is the ideal image of the Universal Yankee Nation. All of Barnum’s ‘freaks’ are of foreign origins. If Bethel embodies the United States (Universal Yankee Nation) then anything outside of Bethel is foreign, including Joice Heth who is from Kentucky. Barnum’s advertisement stated: “Gen. Tom Thumb, a dwarf of eleven years of age, just arrived from England!” (243) even though ‘Tom’ was from Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Universal Yankee Nation is dependent of ‘freaks’ to show the boundaries of normality. The ‘freaks’ establish the limits of the community. The community is constantly being re-established through the introduction of new ‘freaks.’

Barnum’s big emphasis is always on economics. He believes it is important to make money doing whatever you want. “Select the kind of business that suits your natural inclinations and temperament” (394). In his autobiography, I think that Barnum is saying that the ‘freaks’ that he shows off are important, not only for limits of normality, but for economic purposes. The ‘freaks’ may not do what they want, but they do what they are good at, what they are “natural” at; and they are successful at it. Barnum too is successful in his management of them. But that is his post in life. According to Barnum, the ‘freaks’ job in life is to be on stage and be shown off: “rendered her exhibition an extremely interesting one” (148). He does not believe that he is abusing their rights. He is making them money just as he is making money. “Her reputation, however, was sufficient for me…if properly managed it must prove immensely profitable” (296). He always makes his payments on time. “I have not eaten a warm dinner since I bought the Museum” (223). Barnum usually pays fairly well, “I voluntarily increased his weekly salary to $25” (245).

The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Coverdale is a poet and a romantic. He also has a good deal of money that allows him to move between Blithedale and the city. Coverdale is almost ghost like in society. “Here, I was only an intruder” (174). He just observes things as they happen. “Of all possible observers, methought, a woman, like Zenobia, and a man, like Hollingsworth should have selected me” (160). He does not take part in life, which in the end he regrets. “My subsequent life has passed-I was going to say, happily-but, at all events, tolerably enough” (246).

Coverdale’s relationship with society is his mind. His writing is the only way to give the world anything. “There now needed only Hollingsworth and old Moodie to complete the knot f characters, whom a real intricacy of events, greatly assisted by my method of insulating them from other relations, had kept so long upon my mental stage” (156). I think that the characters were “insulated” because the story was taking place in Coverdale’s mind. The story would not have been so dramatic if it had taken place along with other events, in the real world. But, because Coverdale’s writing has isolated the ‘actors’ then the plot is only intricate in Coverdale’s mind. But, Hawthorne describes Coverdale as “the Minor Poet” (2). Writing about Blithedale is Coverdale’s last chance to show the world that he does have a purpose.

The problem with Coverdale’s relationship to society is that he is never involved in it. “I lack a purpose” (246). He is always on the outside of things observing and writing “minor” poetry. Even when he leaves Blithedale for a vacation to society Coverdale ends up staring out his window for most of the time. “After several such visits to the window, I found myself getting pretty well acquainted with that little portion of the backside of the universe” (148).