... At this point in American history, women were viewed as inferior to men, both socially and financially. Women did not have the right to vote until 1920, and a woman working was unheard of; a woman's place was viewed to be at home. This is apparent when the sheriff mentions, "Nothing here but kitchen things" ( 152, paragraph 67 ). To take it a step further, these women were all married to rural farmers. The male characters in this story are not people, as far as the reader knows. Rather, these men were probably not very well educated, nor were they exposed to things considered proper. They knew what they learned from their parents. For instance, a young man grows up seeing how his father treats his mother, and that is what becomes acceptable. To clarify, the experiences that these three women share all revolve around being married during the ...

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