Description
Mary E. Wilkins Freemans tales for and about children arose out of cultural constrictions formulated by a strict adherence and obedience to the Puritan values embedded in New England history. At the time she wrote these stories, New England was experiencing a population decline fueled by massive changes in industry and farming, and the effects of war. With young, industrious men pouring out of rural New England, Freeman concentrated on the women and the weak men who were left behind. Role models for boys were hard to find, and respectable mates for girls were few. Consequently, the lines dividing gender roles got blurred in Freemans world, and she set out to redraw the lines by redefining the roles of men and women for children. This text not only discusses the impact of such cultural and historical forces on gender in her writing, but it also categorizes both collected and uncollected tales by grouping together the products of Freemans gender instruction.
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