The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane · Question
How does The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane develop the theme of The Role of Women?
Answer
The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane by Mark Rutherford develops The Role of Women across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Women like Pauline Coleman and Mrs. Zachariah navigate restrictive domestic and religious spheres, with Pauline's vivacity and independent thinking standing in stark contrast to the subdued, conventional roles expected of them.
Mrs. Coleman's limited agency and emotional dependence are shown; her excitement for the theatre contrasts with her domestic frustrations.
Pauline's intellectual equality with men and her lively temperament stand in stark contrast to the constrained, domestic piety expected of women in Zachariah's Dissenting community.
Pauline's dance is both an expression of art and a source of temptation for Zachariah, while his wife embodies domestic duty and religious observance.
Evidence in the book
- III: The Theatre
Mrs. Coleman's limited agency and emotional dependence are shown; her excitement for the theatre contrasts with her domestic frustrations.
- V: The Horizon Widens
Pauline's intellectual equality with men and her lively temperament stand in stark contrast to the constrained, domestic piety expected of women in Zachariah's Dissenting community.
- XI: Politics and Pauline
Pauline's dance is both an expression of art and a source of temptation for Zachariah, while his wife embodies domestic duty and religious observance.
- XII: One Body and One Spirit
Mrs. Coleman's isolation and lack of understanding of her husband's affairs highlight the limited domestic sphere of women.
- XVI: Cowfold
Women's roles are depicted in domestic settings, such as tea-time hospitality and taking their husbands' political colors, with limited public involvement.
- A Religious Picnic
Priscilla Broad's life is constrained by her role as the minister's daughter; she is expected to maintain social superiority while attracting a suitable husband, yet has few resources or freedoms.
- XIX: “The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like Unto Leaven”
Mrs. Allen's need for periodic isolation and her intellectual life contrast with the expected domestic role, while Pauline's vivacity and education challenge conventional femininity.
- The Reverend Thomas Broad’s Exposition of Romans 8:7
Pauline's decisive and physical rejection of Broad's advances asserts her agency and challenges the era's expectations of female passivity.
