The Role of Women

Women appear as both civilizing influences and enigmatic forces, from the domestic virtues of Bostonian mothers to the symbolic power of the Virgin in medieval culture, yet Adams often finds them peripheral to the male-dominated worlds of politics and intellect.

Adams credits his sister Mrs. Kuhn with superior moral sense and influence, leading him to conclude that no woman ever drove him wrong.

Central theme: Adams examines the American woman's failure to create a new society, her liberation through industrialization, and the inertia of sex as a fundamental force in history.