A Historical View of the American Family through

American Literature 1865-1918

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This site provides information on the American family as viewed through America literature. Specifically it focuses on two works: The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Awakening. The goal of studying these two works is to draw connections between how these works present views of the family held by the society of the period in which they were written.

Family Studies | Views of average Americans | Views of upper classes | Why use literature? | Views Today

How did family studies develop in America?

It is first important to understand what the general views of families and family members’ roles are during this time. Around 1861, scholars began to study the family. Darwin’s theory of evolution was a key contributing factor to this movement. People began to apply the theories of naturalism to family studies. The movement was pushed by the idea that a stable, connected family unit would stabilize the social structure of the country. Scholars of the time believed that alternatives forms of marriage, such as free love or marriage coupled with easy divorce, would cease to exist because their structures would die out. (9).

What were the views of most Americans?

Average Americans held these alternative forms of marriage in even more contempt than scholars did. Americans were very aware which ideas of family structure should be upheld. The only difference between their definition of family and the model of the nuclear family is that they believed in extended family. Many Americans had recently immigrated with their entire families and to meet their needs it was more practical to live with extended family. Extended family meant more wage earners or workers pooling their resources for the good of the family. Even in this form of family certain perceptions of roles existed.

The father was the head of the house. His responsibilities were to provide for his family, protect his family, and try to make his family’s life better. Whatever it took for him to accomplish these goals was accepted. The mother was expected to take care of the children, work at home, and use her free time to try to network her children in with the “right” people. Children were expected to make their parents proud of them. Even with these roles clearly stated, there was a significant shift in roles noticed by British travelers of the time. These travelers marveled at how Americans did not only spout democracy, but they also practiced it at home. The mother and the father were equal partners, and the children had a right to voice their opinions too. (3).

How did the views of the upper classes differ from the average American?

Unlike the Americans British travelers witnessed, the upper classes of the country held onto the old beliefs of what each member’s role should be. There was no democracy in the family. They practiced the strict roles every day of their lives. Inheritances were gained or lost by how well a role was fulfilled. These classes were especially strict about the role of the wife/mother. These families were wealthy, which created a lot more leisure time for the entire family. During this leisure time, many women began to realize that they would like to pursue their interests. Other members of society were quick to prevent them from doing this. They reasserted that the woman’s place was at home taking care of her husband and children.

Why use literature to study the family?

The reasons for using literature to examine this time period can be found in the genre of the literature being discussed, and also the authors’ backgrounds. William Dean Howells wrote The Rise of Silas Lapham, and Kate Chopin wrote The Awakening. Both Chopin and Howells were key figures in a movement in literature called realism. Realism portrayed characters and settings that were based on the world in which the author lived. These characters were not stereotypical heroes or villains, but more like real people. The characters had good sides and bad sides and seemed almost too real to be worth mentioning. These factors make The Awakening and The Rise of Silas Lapham very good instruments with which the American family can be studied.

How does this relate to views today?

Many of the views on what families today should be can be traced back to this period and previous times. Americans may practice these views less, but there is still an enormous push for families to revert back to this structure. Many people still believe that a strong social structure is based on strong family structures—meaning the model of the nuclear family. Many forms of family are being suppressed today. LGBT couples are still not permitted to marry and women are still viewed as needing to be married. Through Silas Lapham and The Awakening, perhaps today’s people can recognize the flaws with these models.

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