The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison (Women in the West) by Kathleen A. Cairns (Roaring 20's-WWII, Gender & Sexuality)

The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison (Women in the West) 

by Kathleen A. Cairns

Roaring 20's-WWII
Gender & Sexuality

Thesis:

The roaring twenties changed the public perception of women. While women were allowed more independence and respect they could also be viewed as manipulators making power plays using men as their pawns.

Specific examples/evidence that supports the thesis:

Summary:

What does this tell us about Gender in the Roaring 20’s-WWII?

During this era women were trying to break out of their traditional roles. Finding more independence with jobs and breaking free from the conforms of women living with their parents and then their husbands, always chaperoned. 

In this time women gained more political power from the right to vote and had more public presence. The sphere of women expanded. Noir film, books, and radio shows told stories of women seducing men and manipulating them, often convincing them to murder someone. Women were no longer viewed as the codependent innocent party.
These attitudes contributed to the death sentencing of Nellie May Madison. This women strayed from the expected roles of women and was judged more harshly than may have been in previous time periods.

What parts of the book can be applied to lectures?
Noir and the shift of power towards women plus the social backlash. It would be fun to compare Noir films to films of the previous era to demonstrate how the characterization of women in society had shifted.

General Thoughts:

Excerpts from Book Reviews: 

"In this splendidly crafted narrative of Nellie's life, Cairns explores the West as geography and a place of reinvention, the rise of mass popular culture and its impact upon the individual, Los Angeles as myth and reality, criminal prosecution as a force in social control, the media's ability to elevate or destroy individuals, and intimate abuse as a legal defense to murder. "

"Nellie challenged societal norms by marrying several times, remaining childless, wandering the West, earning a professionally accomplished resume, and by being convicted of murder and sentenced to hang in California."

My Highlighted Passages: