Hannah Kent's Burial Rites

Hannah Kent presents an analysis of the patriarchal society, divided by wealth, which was 1800s Iceland, and uses this analysis to illustrate links between the society of the time, and of today. This comparison may in part be due to Kent’s stance in society as a woman. The novel however, is not a form of anti-masculine propaganda; it is a thought provoking, justified text that presents an insight into our possible failings as a society, especially when it comes to equality.

Gender:

A major theme present in Burial Rites is what women are supposed to be, the meaning of being a woman. In the 1800s, women were supposed to be quiet and attractive, and useful in the home. Women were not expected to be able to speak for themselves, and definitely not to stand up for themselves against the way they are treated by men. This is expressed through the way Sigga was let off on probation, as she clearly fits the image of a traditional archetype of a woman, she is dumb and pretty. Agnes however is put to death, she doesn’t conform to the normalised sense of beautiful, and is too smart for her own good, this causes her to be "made an example of." Agnes and Sigga are used in direct juxtaposition, Kent wanted to

In the case of families like the Jonson's, Kent makes it very clear that they are living on "thin ice" because of their financial situation, Agnes sees that they have got nothing, so far as having to sell the glass from their windows in order to survive. The Jonson’s are given no choice but to take this murderess into their home for the time until her execution, this is because Blondal tells them to as their superior, and they are clearly not in a position to refuse something that he has personally asked them to do, they know that he has the power to make their lives much worse off than their life already is, and are not prepared to allow this to happen when they are trying to raise two