An Analysis and Interpretation of Gold Rush Brides
The song Gold Rush Brides by Natalie Merchant is about the suffering of the women during the Gold Rush era in California. However, what kind of women the singer was actually singing about remains to be seen. Through Albert Hurtados Sex, Gender, Culture, and a Great Event The California Gold Rush, the song will be analyzed so as to determine whether the song depicts a representation of what actually occurred during the Gold Rush era.
The following lines refer to how the people migrated to California when gold was discovered
Follow the typical signs, the hand-painted lines, down prairie roads
Pass the lone church spire
Pass the talking wire from where to who knows
Theres no way to divide the beauty of the sky
From the wild western plains
Where a man could drift, in legendary myth, by roaming over spaces
The land was free and the price was right. (Merchant lines 1-7)
Apparently, the song tries to state that California seemed to be the promised land during that time and those who wanted to be able to improve their lives migrated to California in order to find their destinies since the land was free and the price was right (Merchant line 7).
The song also carries the lines Dakota on the wall is a white-robed woman, broad yet maidenly Such power in her hand as she hails the wagon mans family I see Indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history (Merchant lines 8-10). Women at that time were scarce in California, for the the men were the ones who came immediately as soon as gold was discovered in the area. Women came much later, and sometime in 1850, the ratio of men to women became 12.2 to 1 (Hurtado 4). Feminized industries such as cooking, sewing, or housekeeping were really important to the male population. In fact, the value of the labor of women (although unpaid) was so high that men considered them to be economically valuable (Hurtado 6).
Men particularly felt that women were very important, especially as brides for the domestic labors they provided were valuable in aiding the men in their lives as workers. In a nutshell, if women can do their jobs properly, men would be able to function properly as well. Womens labor as wives had real economic value, for they were able to ensure that the men were healthy and content enough to work well. Even child-rearing was considered an important aspect of the economy for it replaces the labor force (Hurtado 6). Hence, the social value of women during the time of the Gold Rush was significantly high that men paid them extreme respect (Hurtado 9).
However, this treatment did not affect all of the women in California. Native women or the Indian women were the ones who had the most problems during the Gold Rush era. Since women were of scarcity in the Gold Rush era, some men took Indian wives. However, these gold rush brides were the ones who experienced the most depressive consequences during the time, for neither the church nor state considered the intermarriages as valid. Apart from this, most men left their Indian wives the moment more white females became available (Hurtado 10).
This brings us back to the line in Natalie Merchants song. The white woman referred to as Dakota represents all of the white females whom the white males took as their wives after they left their previous Indian wives. As seen in the line Such power in her hand as she hails the wagon mans family (Merchant line 9), the scarcity of the population of the white women gave them a certain amount of power over the men, since the men favored them over women of other races. Also, the line stating I see Indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history (Merchant line 10) recalls to mind the events when Indian women were abandoned because their race was considered inferior. Also, the frontier society considered Indian marriages as embarrassing, and the children of white men with Indian women were referred to as half-breeds (Hurtando 11).
In analysis, the gold rush brides consisted of the white women and the Indian women. Merchant speaks of the suffering that these gold rush brides endured. On the side of the Indian women, Merchant states The land was free, yet it cost their lives (Merchant line 14). This, presumably, refers to the hundreds of assaults that the Indian women experienced in the hands of the white men. Most of them were raped and murdered merely because they were of a different color. Most of the assailants also believed that gender relations did not apply to women from different races and that their prey was especially blame-worthy (Hurtando 12).
On the side of the white women, Merchant says In letters mailed back home her Eastern sisters they would moan as they would read accounts of madness, childbirth, loneliness and grief (Merchant line 20). This line may not be particularly clear, since Hurtando (6) primarily discusses the letters of women explaining that men were particularly incompetent at the basic domestic skills. While this statement does not necessarily allude that women at that time felt that they were slowly going out of their minds, it could be said that the mere fact that the scarcity of women prompted the men to hound the few of them like dogs created an environment that was full of tension. Although most of the women deemed that they were respected for being housewives, it is possible that most of them felt that they could be much more than just housewives which would explain their letters containing accounts of madness, childbirth, loneliness and grief (Merchant line 20).
The song, in a way, challenges the common views regarding the Gold Rush era that assumes that the period was a good beginning for California. Although it could be said that the era provided California its foundations, the way women were treated during the said time raises far too many questions not to mention that it was an era where mass killings of the Indian population, particularly of the women, took place. It cannot be denied that the lives of the gold rush brides were tragic. Thus, in some ways, Merchants song tries to communicate that the past is not completely blemish-free it is a history that had its misgivings and it would be good to learn from it.
The following lines refer to how the people migrated to California when gold was discovered
Follow the typical signs, the hand-painted lines, down prairie roads
Pass the lone church spire
Pass the talking wire from where to who knows
Theres no way to divide the beauty of the sky
From the wild western plains
Where a man could drift, in legendary myth, by roaming over spaces
The land was free and the price was right. (Merchant lines 1-7)
Apparently, the song tries to state that California seemed to be the promised land during that time and those who wanted to be able to improve their lives migrated to California in order to find their destinies since the land was free and the price was right (Merchant line 7).
The song also carries the lines Dakota on the wall is a white-robed woman, broad yet maidenly Such power in her hand as she hails the wagon mans family I see Indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history (Merchant lines 8-10). Women at that time were scarce in California, for the the men were the ones who came immediately as soon as gold was discovered in the area. Women came much later, and sometime in 1850, the ratio of men to women became 12.2 to 1 (Hurtado 4). Feminized industries such as cooking, sewing, or housekeeping were really important to the male population. In fact, the value of the labor of women (although unpaid) was so high that men considered them to be economically valuable (Hurtado 6).
Men particularly felt that women were very important, especially as brides for the domestic labors they provided were valuable in aiding the men in their lives as workers. In a nutshell, if women can do their jobs properly, men would be able to function properly as well. Womens labor as wives had real economic value, for they were able to ensure that the men were healthy and content enough to work well. Even child-rearing was considered an important aspect of the economy for it replaces the labor force (Hurtado 6). Hence, the social value of women during the time of the Gold Rush was significantly high that men paid them extreme respect (Hurtado 9).
However, this treatment did not affect all of the women in California. Native women or the Indian women were the ones who had the most problems during the Gold Rush era. Since women were of scarcity in the Gold Rush era, some men took Indian wives. However, these gold rush brides were the ones who experienced the most depressive consequences during the time, for neither the church nor state considered the intermarriages as valid. Apart from this, most men left their Indian wives the moment more white females became available (Hurtado 10).
This brings us back to the line in Natalie Merchants song. The white woman referred to as Dakota represents all of the white females whom the white males took as their wives after they left their previous Indian wives. As seen in the line Such power in her hand as she hails the wagon mans family (Merchant line 9), the scarcity of the population of the white women gave them a certain amount of power over the men, since the men favored them over women of other races. Also, the line stating I see Indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history (Merchant line 10) recalls to mind the events when Indian women were abandoned because their race was considered inferior. Also, the frontier society considered Indian marriages as embarrassing, and the children of white men with Indian women were referred to as half-breeds (Hurtando 11).
In analysis, the gold rush brides consisted of the white women and the Indian women. Merchant speaks of the suffering that these gold rush brides endured. On the side of the Indian women, Merchant states The land was free, yet it cost their lives (Merchant line 14). This, presumably, refers to the hundreds of assaults that the Indian women experienced in the hands of the white men. Most of them were raped and murdered merely because they were of a different color. Most of the assailants also believed that gender relations did not apply to women from different races and that their prey was especially blame-worthy (Hurtando 12).
On the side of the white women, Merchant says In letters mailed back home her Eastern sisters they would moan as they would read accounts of madness, childbirth, loneliness and grief (Merchant line 20). This line may not be particularly clear, since Hurtando (6) primarily discusses the letters of women explaining that men were particularly incompetent at the basic domestic skills. While this statement does not necessarily allude that women at that time felt that they were slowly going out of their minds, it could be said that the mere fact that the scarcity of women prompted the men to hound the few of them like dogs created an environment that was full of tension. Although most of the women deemed that they were respected for being housewives, it is possible that most of them felt that they could be much more than just housewives which would explain their letters containing accounts of madness, childbirth, loneliness and grief (Merchant line 20).
The song, in a way, challenges the common views regarding the Gold Rush era that assumes that the period was a good beginning for California. Although it could be said that the era provided California its foundations, the way women were treated during the said time raises far too many questions not to mention that it was an era where mass killings of the Indian population, particularly of the women, took place. It cannot be denied that the lives of the gold rush brides were tragic. Thus, in some ways, Merchants song tries to communicate that the past is not completely blemish-free it is a history that had its misgivings and it would be good to learn from it.
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3 comments:
Good stuff my man
wow, great job!
Your interpretation although historically correct does not address the points of the song.
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