What role does societal expectation play in shaping the actions of the characters?

What role does societal expectation play in shaping the actions of the characters?

During Anna’s time, a woman who had been sexually assaulted was “ruined”. This societal norm prompted Harold to make a false confession to save Anna’s reputation. These norms also caused the community to regard the pregnant house servant as a loose woman. Actually, she was the victim of a predatory male who believed he could sexually assault lower class women with impunity. And, basically he could.

I agree with Linda that the shunning of ‘loose’ girls without looking at the men was very prevalent and is still ingrained in some societies. The belief that women or girls need to be present to hold a family together is a major reason Anna stayed in Ireland after her mother died. Another expectation is that couples should recover from the birth of a child quickly by replacing it with a new birth.

After her mother's death, Anna was more or less expected to stay and "raise the family" and is still pretty much an expectation today. The stigma of girls who are raped as being loose or promiscuous is still prevalent today, as is the idea that you can replace one lost child with another one.

I agree with the comments above. Because Sarah lived in the twenty-first century, she could fly to Ireland on a whim and was able to leave her husband and begin a new life. She could also pursue art as a career.

I agree with above comments.

where a huge part of this story including the treatment of 'peasant', Anna by her aristocratic neighbors.

Not unusually, this story shows women being perceived as "less than" men and pushed towards more traditional roles. This is certainly reflective of our society.

I think we need to understand that social expectations have changed a great deal since the 1910 time period to current years. I’m thinking about the chapter where the Hawley twins were killing animals. This wasn’t so abnormal to kill rabbits and chickens many years ago, but today it is prosecuted, thank goodness.

I loved how Tess and Anna collaborated to create a dress for Anna to attend the Hawley party. Societal expectations were that Anna was not worthy to be at a Thornwood party.

Society has certainly become more obviously supportive of women in relation to predatory men. However, the subtle ways that women are still discriminated against can be even more insidious because they are less obvious.

I agree with shirleyl. Expectations have changed over the years, while some are still the same. My sister and I took care of my mother while my brothers went on to school, new jobs, new locations. More importantly, the single mother who chooses to raise her child through rape is much more accepted in society, but definitely eyed as lesser than the married woman. Society imposes it's own concept on us.

The entire story rested on the class separation between the Hawleys and the village. They got away with anything. The lower class were always at fault. Anna's mother tried to warn her, but it didn't work. Harold understood what it would mean for everyone to find out what had happened to Anna and took the blame. Then Anna was stuck by family obligation. Sarah, in the modern world, had none of those concerns or restrictions. She was free to go where she wanted and seek solace for herself on her own terms.

I cannot add any more to the comments already very well stated above

the caste system, where Anna did not feel worthy to go to a party at the Hawthornes, the treatment of women, when Anna was assaulted, she was the one that felt shame, in some ways we have come a long way from this and in other ways, I feel we are moving backwards.

Just one example is Sarah. She does what everyone expects of her when she meets and marries Jack and after they lose their daughter to the point of losing herself. Anna does the same, giving up the love of her life to take care of her father and family. I was sad at how that part of the story ended. But in 1911 in Ireland, to do otherwise would have been considered selfish. To do so today would be considered "co-dependency."

We are always on guard as to what others think. We react to what do, which is an action of their thinking. No one is left on their own to do as they will, without the influence of others.