The Role of Women

Where it surfaces

• 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.

• XXII: The Oracle Warns—After the Event

  Priscilla's inability to engage with political ideas and her focus on domestic trivialities reflect contemporary gender expectations.

• XXIII: Further Development

  Priscilla is entirely absorbed in motherhood and ignores her husband's political concerns, while Mrs. Broad exerts influence behind the scenes.