Character Commontary:
This golden brooch will always hold a special place in my heart. I will never forget the look on my now-deceased wife's face when I handed it to her that one night in Australia. Prior to my leaving for Australia, I was rather poor and rather ashamed of that fact, but she was always right by my side. I had been hearing about a gold rush in Australia from a multitude of people around me, but could never quite push myself to leave. That was until my girlfriend, at the time, told me that I should go out on a limb and buy a ticket to Australia. I had been trying in England for quite some time, but I never was quite able to find what I was looking for so I figured I had nothing more to lose. When I decided to leave England, I barely had enough money to buy the boat ticket to get to Australia, let alone have a wedding. She did not care in the least bit, so I decided to marry her right then and there, about a week before we left for Australia. Once we arrived, I was able to quickly find a job, despite the major increase in population, and I was able to start saving up some money. As soon as I got enough I bought her this gold brooch to show how much I appreciated all of her help and her going on this adventure with me. She was a long for whatever life threw our way, and I will never forget her.
Historical Commentary:
Upon first investigation of this brooch, one might claim that it is just a common brooch that one might have found in the mid-19th century. While the outside looks gold it was common for this large of a brooch to contain metals other than gold and be very cheaply made (Art 2021). After a further glance and reading of the passage, however, it is found that this piece was created in Australia. Australia at the time had just gone through a major gold rush that started in the 1850s and proceeded well into the 1900s. With all things pointing to this book being written between the 1870s-1900s it seems that this is a real gold piece. It is also interesting to note the symbolism behind the brooch that pairs well with his story. Often brooches during this time would have symbols on them that were significant to that family. On this particular brooch, there seems to be a shovel and a well showing how he obtained his wealth through mining (Art). It is interesting to look deeper into the gender roles that revolved around the mining culture at the time. Mining was a predominantly masculine culture, leaving women with little to no power. Often they were not even allowed to leave the house, with one minor even going as far as to say “‘Woman belang in the hoose’” just reinstating how sexist the culture around this line of work was (Hall 2004). On top of that, minors and their wives would have extremely unhealthy relationships. Whether it be domestic violence, constant fluctuating income, or the high standards for a clean house in such a dirty environment, miners' wives were always highly underappreciated and under constant pressure (Hall). While it is hard to tell just based on one journal entry it seems that Mr. Marsh and his wife hopefully had a better relationship than the average one, but this would be a major exception.
Works Cited
Art of Mourning. “Colonial Australian Sentimental Jewels.” Art of Mourning, 26 Jan. 2021, artofmourning.com/colonial-australian-sentimental-jewels/.
Hall, Valerie G. “Differing Gender Roles: Women in Mining and Fishing Communities in Northumberland, England, 1880–1914.” Women’s Studies International Forum, Pergamon, 1 Dec. 2004, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539504000512#aep-section….