This study will examine Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale, The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812. Specifically, the study will analyze the ways in which Ballard's experiences were typical or atypical for a woman of her era; how she shaped her own life and how she was shaped by external circumstances; evidence of a "woman's culture" in Ballard's life; and in what ways Ballard's actions shaped American life.
The book essentially presents two distinct impressions of the society and Ballard's place in it. The society of New England (Hallowell, Maine) in that era was a society which was apparently defined, organized and run by men. On the other hand, Ballard herself is revealed as a strong woman who, along with many other women, contributed regularly, significantly and effectively to that society. She can hardly be called a hard-core feminist in the modern sense of the term, for her struggle for meaning was not an aggressive of outright equality with men. Nevertheless, Ulrich's exploration of the diary makes it clear that Ballard was well aware of inequities in the society which favored men, and that she was working steadily and quietly to advance herself and other women in that society. The "woman's culture" which existed was similarly quietly but steadily operating, even if primarily in the context of a "man's world." Ballard and Ulrich make clear that women were not given proper credit, but if their contributions and efforts had suddenly been removed, the stability of society would have been seriously threatened.
Ballard's life was shaped by a combination of her own determination, skills and intelligence, and by the external pressures and restrictions imposed by the patriarchal society. Ballard performed tenaciously and even heroically during wartime, but as Ulrich makes clear, she was not appreciated or honored for her efforts, as men were. Ulrich notes that Henry Sewall in his diary completely ignored...