Through our discussions and readings from Hopkins, I have become particularly interested in the role of marriage as an indicator of social status and, often, morality. Hopkins mentions that the 16th century laws categorized women as "married or about to be married." It is interesting to consider that the patriarchal structure present in marriage provided the model for the ideal relationship between the masculine and paternal monarch and the submissive, feminine subject.
Wiesner also describes a household as the "smallest political unit." I find it particularly interesting that men could also be defined by the tradition of marriage. Wiesner indicates that unmarried men were suspect for not adhering to "their proper place in a gendered social order." These traditions remain true today as a successful marriage is still considered the most noble social accomplishment.
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