Women as Writers

The assumptions that were made about women as writers in Nathaniel Hawthorne's letter were not very positive ones. He states, "Besides, America is now wholly given over to a d---d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash--and should be ashamed of myself if I succeeded." (Hawthorne, 364). First of all, to me, this statement is very arrogant. He is saying that if he was successful then his work would be considered trash, because that is all that Americans are interested in now, the "trash" of these women writers. Then he goes on to say that "worse they could not be, and better they need not be"(Hawthorne, 364). This is sad because his assumption about women's writings of that time were probably not far off from most others. These assumptions may have affected Rebecca Harding Davis in that she wrote her novella to please the reader (with the happy ending, etc.), maybe to the taste of men? After all, she did have much male influence in her writings.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Letter to George D. Ticknor. Rebecca Harding Davis. Life in the Iron Mills. 363-365.

Florence Elizabeth Cory

"Q. State a little more fully as to the competency of women to do this kind of work, to receive the necessary training, and what aptitude do they develop for actually doing this work as well as men do it." (Cory, 341).

"Q. Can you answer from your observation this question, Whether women appear to possess as much natural aptitude for this work as men?" (Cory, 342).

The man questioning Cory asks her this same question twice in this testimonial. This struck me the most when reading. It was almost as if he couldn't let go of the fact that she believed women had the same ability, if not more of an ability, to do the same work as men. I think this definitely holds true today. I know from my personal experience that I have been thought not to do as well on a project as a man, and as unfair as this is, it is true. Women today are still struggling for equality, and it is hard when you are automatically labeled a certain way because you are a woman. This is where determination is the most important tool. Cory was determined to learn to design carpets because it was something that she was very passionate about. She wanted to know, so she did everything she could to learn. I think women today have to be determined to get where they want to be, to show men that they are just as capable. I think Cory handles these questions very well.

"A. Yes sir; I think they do and more. I think they have a greater taste. It comes more natural to them.
Q. You think that here is a field of industry specially open to women?
A. I do most decidedly." (Cory, 342)

Cory, Florence Elizabeth. Senate Testimony on Industrial Art Schools for Women. Davis, Rebecca Harding. Life in the Iron Mills. 337-342.

Harriet Hanson Robinson

I am beginning to understand Life in the Iron Mills much better after reading the text for today. In all honesty I wasn't at all interested in the editors introduction or the novella by Davis which made it very difficult for me to get through. However, I really enjoyed the readings for today and I think that I came away with more knowledge, understanding, and interest than I did with the aforementioned texts. The passage that I enjoyed the most was the Anonymous, "My Experience as a Factory Operative", because she talks about both the positive and the negative experiences of being a factory girl. For example she speaks of how, "if the hours of labor had been only eight instead of thirteen, I should prefer working in the mill to house work, enjoyed the society of the girls, and the noise of the machinery was not displeasing to me; but after one has worked from day until dark, the prospect of working two or three hours more by lamp light is very discouraging." (Anonymous, 173). The entire motivation of her letter is to get the hours reduced for other women workers who also want to attend school.
I also enjoyed her writing style. It almost makes the reader feel what she is feeling and I liked that very much.

The second passage that I enjoyed was the one by Harriet Hanson Robinson because it was almost as if she did not mind working at all. I admire her almost upbeat attitude. She portrays this very well when she says, "I did not think such long tasks a burden, nor of my work in the mill as drudgery. Perhaps it was because I expected to do my part towards helping my mother to get our living, and had never heard her complain of the hardships of her life." (Robinson, 165). She was clearly a strong woman who took pride in her work. She had a good role model in her mother and did her part to earn her living. I respect all of these women that I read today because I'm not sure that I could work as hard as they did, for as long as they did, and keep getting up everyday to do it over and over again.

Robinson, Harriet Hanson. From Loom and Spindle. Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis. Bedford Books, 1998.

Anonymous. My Experience as a Factory Operative. Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis. Bedford Books, 1998.

Life in the Iron Mills: Editor's Introduction

One thing shocked me upon reading the editor's introduction to Life in the Iron Mills. I had expected Davis to be a member of the working class. I think if I had known that bit of information before reading the novella, I would have probably read it differently. I am certain that more questions would have been raised. The question I would have had most frequently is "How does she know that?" I am actually glad that I didn't know that she was a member of the middle class before reading it. I think I got more out of it with the assumption that she was a working class woman--thinking she was there. However, I did enjoy getting a little background on the Iron Mills and other literature from Davis's time. I think that cleared up any small questions I had. Mostly dealing with the time period in which I knew nearly nothing about.

Davis, Rebecca Harding. Life in the Iron Mills. Introduction: Cultural and Historical Background. Bedford Books, 1998.

Life in the Iron Mills

I had a rough time getting into the "Life in the Iron-Mills" text for today. The beginning seemed very slow to me. I think it is mostly in part because the narrator spent so much time telling the reader that he was going to tell a story before he actually started to tell it. One thing that I noticed in the first few pages of an almost introduction was the narrators use of words. For example, I found it interesting on his word choices like muddy, dirty, dark, fog, clammy, and then the words used moset often, drunk (or some form of the word). I think that these words do a marvelous job of setting the scene for the readers. The narrator wants us to know that the places he is about to describe are not places of happiness or joy, but of dampness and darkness. And my favorite part in the introduction, " A dirty canary chirps desolately in a cage beside me. Its dream of green fields and sunshine is a very old dream--almost worn out I think." (Davis, 40). I think the canary may also exemplify the feelings of the workers.

Once I got into the text it picked up quite nicely, but I think not knowing some of the background may have confused me in a few areas. However, one of the most interesting parts in this text is:
"His soul within him was smothering to death; he wanted so much , thought so much, and knew--nothing. There was nothing of which he was certain, except the mill and things there... His brain greedy, dwarfed, full of thwarted energy and unused powers, questioned these men and women going by, coldly, bitterly, that night. Was it not his right to live as they, --a pure life, a good, true-hearted life, full of beauty and kind words? (Davis, 62).
To me this is saying that Hugh wants to be equal to the upper class. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think he wants to actually be a part of the upper class because he says that he didn't know much, only that of the mill and the things there and I think that was his only "safety and comfort" but he does not understandwhy he did not have the "right" to live as people of a higher class.