g opinions about foreigners. She writes, I received an invitation from a China man to attend a chinese theatre... he is said to be a wealthy merchant...17 From her comments it appears that Megquier finds this Chinese man to be respectable and affable despite his being foreign. However, in a later letter, she says of her own servant, My China boy was so ugly I could do nothing with him... I took a raw hide [her husband] bought for the purpose and laid it into his back a few times...18 Mrs. Megquier finds the Chinese boy practically repulsive, and she treats him like an animal by beating him. These are very different sentiments from those expressed about the wealthy merchant. Again, in her eyes, this man is much more civilized. He is not a degraded servant, but a respectable man presumably on the way to selfmaking. This is something Victorian society taught her to have respect for. She is able to overlook his foreignness, but she has not changed enough to do the same for her servant. California society was much freer than the one she left in New England, and while she allows herself to be influenced by it to a certain point, she still holds herself to convention at times. Women pioneers didnt seem to be willing to accept foreigners at their level. This is true for white California society as a whole, and racial conflict would continue to cause problems far into the states future.The Victorians felt that work was very important. People were expected to adhere to the Victorian tenant of self making. Men were supposed to make their own way through hard work to acquire independence and productive property of their own. Women were to support their husbands in this endeavor.19 Working hard was the key to success, and it was a womans duty to work hard to maintain her family while her husband worked towards their future. It would be difficult for any woman to change her way of thinking on this central theme. However, changes in t...
