According to her letter, Elinore set out to prove that life as an independent women homesteader was possible, she showed a very proud and determined attitude. However, I do not believe this letter creates a fair portrait of life as a homesteader for women.
From the letter that Elinore Rupert Stewart writes, we can infer that society has a very poor idea of the capabilities of women ranchers. She states multiple times that she was told she would not be able to handle the burdens and responsibilities of being a homesteader, and begins the letter implying that many women fear even trying to start a homestead. Throughout the letter, Elinore writes in a very proud and determined attitude. She would only accept the minimal help and constantly writes about proving wrong those who doubted her capabilities.
Despite the successful and hands-on nature of Elinore's time as a homesteader described in the letter, I do not believe this is a fair portrait of what life was like for women homesteaders. The role of women in these areas at the time was that of a farmer's wife. The responsibilities of this role mostly included;
- Caring for the children
- Collecting eggs
- Making clothes
- Cooking
- Basic gardening
- Laundry.
This is in contrast to Elinore's letter in which she describes her life as a women homesteader as one in which her responsibilities were geared more towards agriculture and livestock in a more hands-on approach to ranching. This contrast was the reason many told Elinore she would not be able to succeed.
Elinore writes in a very proud and determined attitude, backed by her many accomplishments in proving the worth of a woman as a homesteader. Despite her success, however, the letter does not create a fair portrait of life as a women homesteader but rather is an exception to what a women's role was commonly expected to be on the farm.
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