Garland, Hamlin,--1860-1940--Criticism and interpretation

The early heroines of Hamlin Garland are the voices of his discontent. Their actions underscore Garland's advocacy of change, both sociological and artistic. Jane Ripley ("Mrs. Ripley's Trip") and Agnes Dingman ("A Branch Road") highlight his involvement with the plight of Border farm wives. The core of his doctrines emphasizes their need to establish an identity in a dehumanizing world. In A Spoil of Office, Ida Wilber is Garland's proponent of individualism. She is a heroine who applauds the woman's shifting profile in society. Rose Dutcher (Rose of Dutcher's Coolly) epitomizes the author's crusade for eradication of the double standard. She is the allegorical "new woman" who wears female equality and personal freedom proudly. Bessie Blake and Mary Brien (Her Mountain Lover) symbolize the need of local-colorists to become literary iconoclasts and shun wordsmiths of the past. They manifest Garland's zeal for a national utterance.