Difference between revisions of "Week 9 Questions/Comments-327 11"
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Emma Willard was forthright in giving advice to her younger sister Almira in regards to the decision of marriage and finding the proper suitor. In the letter she wrote to Almira, she stated “. . .and we will likewise pass over the possibility of your lover’s seeing some object that he will consider more interesting than you, and likewise that you may hereafter discover some imperfection in his character. We will pass this over, and suppose that the sanction of the law has been passed upon your connection, and you are secured to each other for life” (144). It seems as though Emma is trying to think of every situation that could go wrong in a relationship, and she is attempting to discourage her younger sister for marrying for any reason, including for love or for money. Why was the idea of marriage for love considered such a risk? In today’s society, love is considered the fortifying reason for a couple to enter into matrimony together. Could it be possible that Emma was merely jealous of her younger sister because she had found a wealthy suitor that wanted to marry her, whereas Emma was once happily married and living comfortably until her husband’s finances collapsed? Emma is clearly unhappy in her own life, and in reading this excerpt, I detected a bit of jealousy towards her sisters potential happiness and wealth. -- Lindsey S. | Emma Willard was forthright in giving advice to her younger sister Almira in regards to the decision of marriage and finding the proper suitor. In the letter she wrote to Almira, she stated “. . .and we will likewise pass over the possibility of your lover’s seeing some object that he will consider more interesting than you, and likewise that you may hereafter discover some imperfection in his character. We will pass this over, and suppose that the sanction of the law has been passed upon your connection, and you are secured to each other for life” (144). It seems as though Emma is trying to think of every situation that could go wrong in a relationship, and she is attempting to discourage her younger sister for marrying for any reason, including for love or for money. Why was the idea of marriage for love considered such a risk? In today’s society, love is considered the fortifying reason for a couple to enter into matrimony together. Could it be possible that Emma was merely jealous of her younger sister because she had found a wealthy suitor that wanted to marry her, whereas Emma was once happily married and living comfortably until her husband’s finances collapsed? Emma is clearly unhappy in her own life, and in reading this excerpt, I detected a bit of jealousy towards her sisters potential happiness and wealth. -- Lindsey S. | ||
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| + | I think the idea of marrying someone because you loved them was so risky because if the person you loved couldn't provide for you, how would that make you look in society? The purpose of marriage was so that the husband could provide for his wife and children. I think that Emma may have been jealous of her sister for finding a husband, but I also think that she was unhappy because she couldn't marry for love. --Catherine K. | ||
== Caroline Gilman, “The Deferential Wife,” 1838 == | == Caroline Gilman, “The Deferential Wife,” 1838 == | ||
