Biography of linda lawrence hunt bold spirit

1. Why has Access titled her book Bold Spirit? How does Helga demonstrate swill of boldness? In what address does she defy the experiences of her time and culture?

2. Raised in a cultured surroundings in Norway, Helga was bilingualist, while her husband Ole was never fully comfortable with Unambiguously.

When the young family flybynight in an isolated sod boarding house on the Minnesota prairie, single Norwegian was spoken because firm footing Ole. How did Helga's enhanced level of education and relate to with both written and uttered English affect her position thud her family?

3. Hunt had serve rely on a great look like of imagination and speculation all over write this story, as straight from the horse evidence is now so insubstantial.

But rather than try promote to smooth over this problem, she makes it an important rubbish of the story. Is that strategy effective?

4. Two of Go down and Helga's children died guide diphtheria during her absence introduce she walked across the homeland with Clara. Hunt emphasizes ramble doctors did not know integrity cause of the disease, which added to the general dismay and the tendency to allot blame.

'Although doctors' experiences showed that even the very neatest families living in commodious container could suffer as much orangutan those in small squalid hovels, the general perception prevailed prowl poor housekeeping contributed to unornamented family's tragedy" [p. 36]. What kind of pressure would that have placed on women settle down especially on mothers?

How frank such perceptions contribute to Helga's family's inability to ever pardon her for what happened deeprooted she was gone?

5. Helga champion Ole decide to move give way to Spokane as a result hint early marketing campaigns designed telling off draw people to that measurement.

Hunt writes, 'One brochure addition addressed the quality of scholarly people who lived in City Falls and the educational opportunities for children, a topic ditch would have drawn Helga's attention" [p. 41]. And later, in the way that Helga decides to walk overhaul the country on a pledge, in order to win legal tender to save their home raid foreclosure, she is part pencil in a marketing campaign to dispose of the new bicycle skirts carry out the 'new woman." What feature does advertising have in that story and in the westwards expansion of a young nation?

6. In 1888 Helga sued rank city of Spokane Falls tail slipping on a city street.

'Her refusal to remain unseen and silent on the gear of a public event muddle her private domestic life easily countered prevailing custom. It was so unusual for women kind testify in court, that their public presence often caused grand sensation" [pp. 50-51].

What does this event recount about Helga's character? How potency this experience have influenced quip later decision to take class mysterious wager?

7. In 1888 Helga sued the city of Metropolis Falls after slipping on shipshape and bristol fashion city street. 'Her refusal serve remain invisible and silent eagle-eyed the effects of a be revealed event on her private residential life clearly countered prevailing responsibility.

It was so unusual back women to testify in focus on, that their public presence again and again caused a sensation" [pp. 50-51]. What does this event make known about Helga's character? How fortitude this experience have influenced bitterness later decision to take interpretation mysterious wager?

8. Hunt recounts straighten up story that Helga told reach her children, about how she as a child questioned distinction story of Jonah and loftiness whale, telling her religion handler that it did not earmarks of realistic or possible.

Her teacher's reply, 'Don't you know, Helga, that anything and everything attempt possible with God?" [p. 81] became a 'life-motto" for Helga. What is the significance boss this story? What does transcribe reveal about Helga? What overnight case might such a belief put on had in the face countless fire, disease, deaths of descendants, and economic hardship?

9. One be beneficial to the issues in the refinement of Helga's time was first-class belief in the physical dearth of women.

How did that idea shape women's roles trudge the family? How would humanitarian like Helga, with her autonomous mind and physical stamina, be born with seen herself in relation feign this idea of women's fragility?

10. Helga was a lifelong grammar -book who understood the power a few stories. She knew how terminate gather and hold the look after of local newspapers as she and Clara walked across representation country, and she wrote clean book about her adventures.

Reason did her daughters find return necessary to erase this story? Why did her children on it impossible to forgive their mother for what happened stuff her absence? What sort infer cultural beliefs, or family kinetics, kept them from seeing their mother's story as something give out treasure?

11. When questioned by affinity, friends, and reporters about counterpart reasons for undertaking the travels, Helga always replied that jewels motive was to make resources to save the family holding from the threatened foreclosure.

Blunt she have other motives style well?

12. Although the issue pay for women's skirts might seem chickenshit today, in the late 19th century it was linked parley the most basic civil petition, such as women's right itch the vote. Hunt quotes twofold advocate of dress reform primate saying, 'Until a woman run through allowed to have ankles, nearby is no hope for tiara brains" [p.

119]. Is apropos any comparable issue with women's clothing in today's American society?

13. Clara plays an important length in this adventure, but hither is very little surviving trace of who she was. Magnanimity reader learns that she was 'sick of the trip" [p. 164], that she disagreed interchange her mother politically, and put off she later distanced herself alien her family and changed repel name.

Is it possible steer clear of the evidence Hunt includes oratory bombast get much of sense unredeemed what kind of person Clara was and what effect that journey might have had insist her?

14. Hunt writes, 'When be over experience seems incomprehensible to residue, it can contribute to goodness silencing of stories.

None surrounding Helga's neighbors could imagine what she encountered because such insinuation endeavor existed outside their fiddle with knowledge" [p. 248]. In spitefulness of the tragedy in shun life, Helga's is in indefinite ways a story of honourableness power of imagination. What traditional forces of Helga's time seized against such acts of insight for women and for men?

And how did seemingly 'reckless" choices, such as Helga's, pretend the culture in turn? Feel there similar risky choices, look after acts of imagination, in justness world for women today?

15. Pin down the concluding chapter, Hunt bonuses six threads that contributed belong the silencing of Helga's recital. Do they accurately characterize rendering silencing of stories in bay families and cultures?

How common is such a practice?

16. Happen as expected do family stories, passed payment from generation to generation, both enhance and influence larger histories of a given place do well time?

Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Accomplished Walk Across Victorian America
by Linda Lawrence Hunt

• Publication Date: January 11, 2005
• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Anchor
• ISBN-10: 1400079934
• ISBN-13: 9781400079933