The public and private dichotomy in Canada’s late 19th century

How does Anne with an E portray the oppressive cultural elements for women in the

public and private spheres of Canada’s late 19th century?

English B Category 2B

3945 words

This work is my own work and is the final version.

I have acknowledged each use of the words or ideas

of another person, whether written, oral or visual.

May 2023 session

1
INTRODUCTION 3
CHAPTER ONE 4
Theoretical Framework 4
1.1 The Series: Anne with an E 4
1.2 The Public/Private Dichotomy 5
1.3 Presentism 6
1.4 Cultural context in the late 19th century in Canada 6
1.4.1 Public Sphere: Women’s possibility to hold office 6
1.4.2: Private Sphere: Marriage & Domestic Labor 7
CHAPTER TWO 9
The Public Sphere in Anne with an E 9
2.1 Public Office 9
2.2 The Right to Vote 10
CHAPTER THREE 12
The Private Sphere in Anne with an E 12
3.1 [Domestic] Labor 12
3.2 Marriage 13
Conclusion 15
References 16

2
 INTRODUCTION

Up to what point is there a division between the public and private lives of women? Are they

in charge of their own rules? Even though they have their private lives, these are often

dictated by the choices of the government and other social forces.

This essay’s main question is How does Anne with an E portray the oppressive

cultural elements for women in the public and private spheres of Canada’s late 19th century?

To explore Canada’s historical background the essay uses the historians Sankey, Strong-boag,

and Cleverdon, with the theory of private and public dichotomy proposed by Mnookin and

McAfee, N., & Howard, K.B. Moreover this essay will use presentism to analyze the

portrayal of the historical oppressive elements towards women. Presentism is another theory

that will support the analysis by demonstrating how TV shows can change the perspective of

the past, and make it seem more inclusive although it was not.

The essay will use the methodology of practical and historical-biographical criticism.

Practical criticism is analyzing a text without taking in count the context of any information

that gives the reader some hints about the text. Historical-biographical criticism is a method

of analyzing literature considering the historical context of the author.

This to argue about how in public life women were not capable of holding office or

being in a position where she had the power to make decisions that concerned a town. And in

private life it will argue about how women’s only work was to be housewives and that it was

thought that women's only purpose was to be submissive over their husbands, and give them

children to take care of.

The point of this extended essay is to demonstrate how the series uses presentism,

practical and historical-biographical criticism to portray the oppressive elements of the public

and private sphere in the context of the late 19th century in Canada.

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 CHAPTER ONE: Theoretical Framework

1.1 The Series: Anne with an E

The series Anne with an E is based on a book called “Anne of Green Gables'' by the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne with an E, is about a girl named Anne who is sent by mistake

to a couple of a brother and a sister who were looking to adopt a farm boy. They eventually

accept her and start to raise her like their own child to teach her of the rules of life and her

role as a woman in the world. This series is set in the decade of 1890s, so the society rules

were more restricted and the role of the woman was to marry and be in the kitchen, to stay

out of politics, to take care of the kids. At the beginning of the series, which presents the real

life issues of the time, women have no voice.

However, the TV series portrays a development of all the characters and shows how

their way of thinking is improved over the seasons. The main character, Anne, is known for

being a very passionate person. She is always trying to help other people, especially

defenseless people that are not treated the way they should, people affected by their social

class, race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Anne is always the one person who tries to understand these

people and stop these problems. Specifically in terms of gender, although too young to be

officially a part of the Women’s Rights movement, Anne is definitely shown to be very

passionate about the issue of women in society. For example, she wants to make sure that in

the future, women have the possibility to speak their minds, choose the life they want, and be

treated with respect.

1.2 The Public/Private Dichotomy

It’s important to understand what the different roles of women are, so one can analyze them

in the show. “The distinction between public and private connects with a central tenet of

liberal thought: the insistence that because individuals have rights, there are limits on the

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power of government vis-a-vis the individual” (Mnookin, 1429). On the one hand, there is the

‘public life’, that area of life where the government can and should have a say on the

individual’s actions; in other words, the actions that heavily concern the government. On the

other hand, ‘private life’ refers to the area of life in which, of course, the government can still

make rules, but where its power is (or should be) limited. Mnookin proposes two questions

that are important for the analysis of this dichotomy:

(1) Should certain activities be considered "private," and thus at least

This is a global issue that affects not only women, nevertheless it is a topic that

political feminists have worked much on: “more feminist political philosophers began to

turn to the meaning and interpretation of civil society, the public sphere, and democracy

itself” (McAffee & Howard, par. 10). According to Patricia Gardiner, the private sphere (with

its respective activities such as taking care of the husband, keeping the house clean, and

having kids) was actually indirectly created because of men wanting to keep women out of

the public sphere. Because of this, “[t]he private sphere, without rights of citizenship, became

women’s place and space” (62). This essay will analyse the ways in which the show Anne

with an E displays different storylines dealing with the public/private dichotomy.

1.3 Presentism

Presentism is “the tendency to interpret the past in presentist terms” (Hunt, L. par. 1). In other

words it means when the historical events are not seen accurately; rather, it’s seen morally

from the perspective of the author’s present. Contrary to historicism, which is understanding

the text from the historical context, presentism helps understand the historical events from the

context it was made. As Gajowski says: “presentism has developed as a theoretical and

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critical strategy of interpreting [authors’] texts in relation to contemporary political, social,

and economic ideologies, discourses, and events. In so doing, presentism has consequently

challenged the dominant theoretical and critical practice of reading [the author] historically”

(p. 675)1.

1.4 Cultural context in the late 19th century in Canada

1.4.1 Public Sphere: Women’s possibility to hold office

In Canada’s late 19th century, women were not allowed to vote or hold political office, and

were therefore not represented in government decision-making. “The exclusion of women

from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours” (Sankey, 1929), yet it is

important to remember that in fact women were not allowed, for the longest time, to be hired

in anything related to politics. If one were to ask, how was it that it took so long for women to

change their political situation perhaps it is because, as stated by Gardiner earlier, men

worked hard to keep women outside of public roles of power. However, there were a number

of suffragist movements and organizations that advocated for women's right to vote, such as

the National Council of Women of Canada and the Women's Christian Temperance Union.

These groups were led by prominent women such as Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy,

who worked to raise awareness about the importance of women's political participation and to

challenge the social and cultural norms that kept women from being politically active.

Despite these efforts, it wasn't until 1918 that the federal government passed legislation

granting women the right to vote in federal elections.

The vote “represented hopes for improvements in education, healthcare and

employment as well as an end to violence against women. For non-white women, gaining the

vote also meant fighting against racial injustices” (Strong-Boag, par. 2). Canadian women in
1
Note: Presentism will not be used by the essay as a literary criticism theory (it is not part of the methodology);
rather, the essay will argue that the creator of the show uses presentism to change elements of the past to better
satisfy contemporary audiences.

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the late 19th century protested discrimination in education and employment, as well as

violence against women and children. The suffrage campaign, led by educated and

professional women, sought to extend voting rights to women and emphasized the

importance of women's maternal qualities in both private and public life.

According to Cleverdon, who wrote a book on the first wave of feminism in Canada,

one of the main reasons for why women wanted to be involved in politics was because they

started to realize “that men [did] not know enough about women to be perfectly fair and

just… and that the only way to get fairness and justice [was] to allow women to make a noise

also by voting and holding office in much the same way as men [did]” (Cleverdon, p. 42).

The movements that began at the time included campaigns supporting women’s suffrage,

health rights, labour, all this so they could have legal and political independence.

The suffrage movement also brought women together across class, race, and ethnic

lines, and helped to build a sense of community and solidarity among women. This allowed

women to come together to advocate for their rights and to support one another in their

efforts to gain the right to vote. “By 1900 many provinces permitted women to vote for

school trustees and for municipal officials, although these privileges were often restricted to

unmarried women” (Cleverdon, p. 44).

1.4.2: Private Sphere: Marriage & Domestic Labor

“From a position of virtual powerlessness in 1800, married women gradually amassed

significant control over their real and personal property, wages, and business profits by 1900”

(Backhouse, 241). This change was led by provincial legislators through three waves of laws

that had different objectives such as providing limited forms of income, protecting property

from seizure and increasing the status of married women. The laws were applied by the

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judges who had various reactions to the laws, some enforced broadly and others limited the

rights of married women to control their property.

“Blackstone had noted that where a husband "had abjured the realm, or [was]

banished," he was legally disabled from controlling his wife’s property, and she was

consequently restored to the status of feme sole” (Backhouse, 217). The judges who were

responsible for interpreting the laws granting married women more control over their

property, believed that the laws were necessary to maintain peaceful and harmonious marital

relations.

They viewed the family as a hierarchical structure where the husband was dominant

and the wife should be restricted from exercising control over her property. The judges had

conservative beliefs about women, property, and marriage, leading them to limit the rights of

married women. It wasn't until the end of the century that their rulings were replaced by new

laws that granted married women more autonomy and brought them into the modern era.

Men often tried to keep women out of the public sphere, which therefore created what

is known as domestic labor. Once a woman was married, then, she lost the right to do

anything but this type of labor. “Women matter in their own not in relationship to a

man”(Walley-Beckett, M. 03x07). The work included tasks that are traditionally seen as

feminine, such as child care, cleaning the house, and food preparation. This work was not

valued in society like the work done by men outside of the household.

By assigning these tasks to women, they were prevented from having the time and

resources to be active in the public sphere. Additionally, they were given the idea that their

contributions were less important or valuable than those that are from men. This led to

discrimination in the workplace and in politics, as women had less time and resources to

devote to these areas.

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 CHAPTER TWO: The Public Sphere in Anne with an E

2.1 Public Office

The series is set in a time period where women were not commonly seen in positions of

power and leadership, and their participation in politics was limited. The series shows how

Anne’s hobby for writing and her desire to make a change in the world are often seen as

improper for a woman. This reflects the societal expectations that women should not be

expressing their opinion so freely, and it reinforces the idea that women are not capable of

making important decisions that concern the society.

Moreover, the series also highlights how the idea that women are not fit for positions

of power is reinforced through the actions and attitudes of the male characters. For instance,

when Anne runs for class president, she is met with resistance and dismissal from her male

classmates, who believe that a woman cannot hold the position.

And it’s because of this idea that women’s opinions are often ignored and are not

taken seriously by men. For example, when Anne tries to share her thoughts and ideas during

class discussion, her teacher and male classmate believe that her opinions are not valuable or

important. This demonstrates that women’s voices are not heard on political decisions.

This is demonstrated in several scenes, such as the one where Anne tries to express

her ideas during a meeting at the White Sands School Board, but the male members of the

board dismiss her and refuse to take her seriously. This scene not only highlights the attitude

of men towards women at the time, but it also shows the struggle of a young girl to be heard

and respected in a patriarchal society.

Another example is when Anne is trying to convince her male classmates to let her

join their club, but they refuse to consider her application because she is a girl. This scene

illustrates the societal attitude towards women's participation in activities that were

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traditionally seen as ‘male’ activities, and it also shows how Anne is forced to fight for her

right to participate and be treated equally.

This series most of the time try to include situations that talk about the oppression to

women, sometimes the show represents it historically accurate like the examples shown

through the whole show. This is because the directors of the show wanted to make the story

attractive to the feminist audience, and it also shows how the series try to smooth the story so

the show can have views, that’s why the show sometimes is loyal to the history at that time.

2.2 The Right to Vote

Through the series it is stated that women do not have a political participation on any matter

and it reinforces the idea that women are not fit for leadership roles. This is shown by the

lack of female politicians, business leaders, or community leaders shown. Because at that

time period women were not allowed to be a part of political decisions. This highlights the

historical reality of women’s lack of representation and participation in political matters.

In this situation Mrs. Rachel wants to join the White Sand Boards School and she is

accepted as the head chair. Since she was portrayed as an intimidating woman who is known

for her stubbornness and she often intimidates men with her character. The representation of

Mrs. Rachel is a way of challenging the societal rules where women were expected to be

obedient and not to be assertive. This character challenges the idea that women are not

supposed to have leadership roles.

This situation is an example of the way that the series uses presentism to represent the

limited role and the restrictions faced by women on political matters. It highlights certain

political issues and comments on the way history is often told from a specific perspective. It

also provides a new and fresh perspective on historical events, making it a more inclusive and

representative representation of the past. Seen from a presentist perspective Anne with an E

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critiques the historical restrictions of women and emphasizes the importance of gender

equality and women’s empowerment in a contemporary society.

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 CHAPTER THREE: The Private Sphere in Anne with an E

3.1 [Domestic] Labor

In Anne with an E, the oppressive elements in the private sphere can be seen in various

aspects of traditional gender roles and societal expectations related to marriage. The series

depicts how traditional gender roles within the family unit can limit the personal growth and

self-expression of women. Women are expected to fulfill traditional roles such as getting

married, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children, while men are depicted as the

primary breadwinners and decision-makers. The show also demonstrates how women were

not able to work, because that was seen as an activity that only men can do. This reinforces

the patriarchal attitudes of the time and can be seen as limiting the opportunities and

aspirations of women.

Women on the show are often represented as someone that is expected to be taking

care of the house and family. Any woman who wanted to work outside of the house was seen

as an aberration to the society and was often met with resistance and disapproval. Like it

happened with Mrs. Stacy, the first woman teacher that the school ever had. She had to face

angry parents saying that she shouldn’t be teaching their kids, and wanted to fire her.

"Therefore, we are of the opinion that Miss Stacy has proven that she is neither qualified nor

an appropriate person to shape the young minds of Avonlea." (Walley-Beckett, M. 02x10)

In addition, societal expectations of marriage are portrayed as a way for women to

secure their financial, social status, and to show the society that you have accomplished the

goal of a woman in life. The pressure to conform to traditional gender roles and societal

expectations of marriage can be oppressive and limiting for women. It is shown that women

who do not conform to these expectations are often seen as deviant or immoral and are

treated differently by the community. This is particularly evident in the way that Anne's

friend, Josie Pye, is treated by the community for not wanting to get married or have children.

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It is also shown in the way other women think of Marilla who didn’t get married. “Poor

Marilla here knows all too well the unfulfilled life of an unmarried woman” (Walley-Beckett,

M. 02x09).

Furthermore, societal expectations of marriage are often portrayed as a way for

women to secure their financial and social status, with the emphasis being on finding a

suitable husband rather than finding true love. This is reflected in the way that Marilla and

other women in the community discuss marriage, often focusing on the economic and social

benefits of marrying a wealthy or well-respected man. This reinforces the patriarchal attitudes

of the time and reinforces the idea that women are dependent on men for their financial and

social status.

Overall, the series demonstrates how traditional gender roles and societal expectations

related to marriage can be oppressive for women in the private sphere, limiting their

autonomy, agency, and happiness. It also reinforces the patriarchal attitudes of the time which

can be seen in the way women are treated and spoken by men.

3.2 Marriage

The series also shows how traditional gender roles and expectations within marriage can be

oppressive for women. Women are expected to be submissive to their husbands and to put

their own needs and desires aside for the sake of their husband's and family's well-being. This

is reflected in the way that Anne's mother, Bertha, was treated by her husband and in the way

that Marilla's sister Rachel is treated by her husband, who is depicted as controlling and

dismissive towards her.

Another example that demonstrates that women had to give up their autonomy and

independence is when Prissy and Mr. Phillips was going to get married, but Prissy had to

stood him up at the altar because she knew that if she married him, she had to stop her

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education, and fit the roles that were made by society on how to be a good wife. “I promise to

find a way to balance college and marriage. You won’t be neglected.” (Walley-Beckett, M.

02x08)

“Sweet prissy. I've been thinking about it these past two months. And after we’re married I’m

going to need your full devotion as my wife. We can’t social-climb if you’re locked away in

school. It’s a wife’s duty.” (Walley-Beckett, M. 02x08)

The show tries to make the audience see how the life of married women was in the

late 19th century, but it does it with its own change. The show includes presentist

perspectives in these situations to critique and highlight the societal norms, and to show how

society has changed over time. Because at the time if women stood up their partner at the

altar it would be seen as something scandalous and dishonorable, for the men it would mean

that he had no control over his partner and it would leave him in humiliation. And there

would be severe consequences to the bride (something that didn’t happen at the show),

because the woman was supposed to be submissive and obedient to their partners. This

demonstrates how the show rewrites the history to make it more likable for the audience.

Due to the establishment of roles that were put into women at the time, women like

Prissy shouldn’t had that ending. She suffered because of her family, not only because she

humiliated herself but also because she humiliated the whole family. But the consequences

were not as severe as it would have been in the late 19th century.

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 Conclusion

How does Anne with an E portray the oppressive cultural elements for women in the public

and private spheres of Canada’s late 19th century? The series Anne with an E portrayed

various situations in which they represented the oppressive aspects of women’s public and

private life in the late 19th century. The series portrays this using presentism by

demonstrating the attitudes of the past seen from the perspective of the author. Practical and

historical-biographical criticism were also used to analyze the issues presented in the series.

This essay talks about the dichotomy between the public and private life of women

and how this dichotomy is portrayed in the series. It also talks about how the show uses

presentism to demonstrate historical events or situations seen from a present point of view.

In public life it was argued that the women on the series had no chance of being in

political matters or be in any leadership role, because of the patriarchal thoughts of men about

women not being able to make any decisions or be involved in politics. Through the series, it

is shown the oppression toward women with regards to their opportunity to participate in

political decisions. It also showed the lack of participation of women in politics, although it

was not the case for Mrs. Rachel. The presentism of this series in this aspect has been

demonstrated as it gives the series a new perspective on old problems to make them more

inclusive.

While in private life it was argued that women were expected to be married, and for a

living they had to do domestic labor. And it is shown in the series that a woman’s life goal is

to get married, and every woman that didn’t get married was seen as someone that was

denying her purpose of life. The presentism in the series was shown in some of the situations

that were portrayed, for example, it was very unusual for a woman to be so liberal and to

demonstrate those kinds of thoughts in this rigid society.

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 Therefore the series Anne with an E uses presentism to portray some of the oppressive

elements according to the public and private sphere of women around the late 19th century.

This essay opens up to analyze other topics in the future like racism, LGBTQ+

community and indigenous people but due to time limitations it was not possible to do proper

research.

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da

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