Equal Opportunity

Adam Bede is a story of the imaginary town of Hayslope in 1799. Mary Anne Evan's (George Elliot) wrote and published the novel during the Victorian period. This was a time where patriarchy tended towards tyranny rather than benevolence. Physical labor like carpentry and farm labor was performed by the men whereas housework was performed by the women. According to the Journal of Ankara University, the novel indirectly argues that the separation of these roles was maintained through the means of the traditional family structure and the church.(1)

Despite the lack of opportunities women had to express their opinions, this novel was a perfect example of enlightenment value of enfranchisement of the individual. Despite the weak initiative of the main female character, Hetty Sorrel, there are female characters who go against the cultural norms of their times and voice their opinions in ways that wouldn't have been considered inappropriate during that time period.

Feminists like Mary Anne Evans and other great thinkers of the enlightenment have paved the way for the equality of opportunity given to women today. When I left my family to serve a two-year church mission, my mom was recently divorced, with no formal work experience, and six children to provide for. She left Canada to move to the States where there would be more opportunity for a single mother. Because of the progress that has been made in gender equality, she was able to find a job and after a series of promotions over three years she is now an executive at the company she started working for. Because the progress that has been made since Mary Anne Evans published Adam Bede woman have more freedom than ever before.



Sources:

(1) 2017, Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, Vol 57, Iss 2 (2017), volume 57, issue 2