In the 1960s, Virginia Slims cigarettes popularized the tag line, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” but in truth, the road to women’s rights in the United States has been a long and often rocky one, and one in which setbacks are still being faced.
Elizabeth Garraux’s personal success in the late 1800s, as recounted in “When He Was Gone,” is all the more remarkable, considering the general attitude toward women of that time. Before the Married Women’s Property Act in 1839, women were subordinate to their husbands. Wives could not make contractual agreements, keep wages they earned, or own property. After the act passed, the states slowly began to acknowledge increased legal rights for married woman, but, in reality, the changes were often not experienced behind closed doors in American homes.
In the late 1870s – the time period of Elizabeth’s life — Annie Brown Adams, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, wrote the following in a letter to a friend:
“The struggle for a married woman’s rights will be a longer and a harder fought battle than any other that the world has known. Men have been taught that they are absolute monarchs in their families, ever since the world began, and that to kill a wife by inches, is not murder. Women are taught from infancy that to betray or even to mention to an intimate friend the secrets of their married life, is worse than disgraceful. Therein lies the power of the man, He knows that no matter what he does, the woman will keep silent as the grave. I could tell you things that have come under my observation, that would make the blood boil in your veins. And these things are going on day after day without let or hinderance. ‘Wives be obedient to your husbands in all things!’ Women are taught that their only hope of heaven, is to endure to the end.”
“When He Was Gone,” based on the true story of Elizabeth’s life, reveals how she, against all odds and despite of the absence of her husband, was able to achieve great success, forever leaving her mark on the city of Greenville. It’s my hope that her life’s story can continue to be an inspiration for those who are marginalized or challenged, and for those who still struggle for equality in our current time.