Anne Bruner Eales’ book, Army Wives on the American Frontier: Living by the Bugles, largely agrees with Fredrick Jackson Turner’s thesis. Both Turner and Eales have the idea that the American frontier shaped and changed people, creating a unique American. Throughout the three chapters of Eales’ book, there were similarities and differences between the chapters and Turner’s thesis. The two major similarities between Eales’ book and Turner’s thesis are the ideas of unique change in the people of the frontier and the frontier creating a unique American. The differences between Turner and Eales’ thoughts are very minor, Turners talks about generalized change in the American man and his family, whereas Eales talks about the change in women . An examination of each of the three chapters will help to show the similarities and differences between the two authors.
Chapter one of Eales’ book states that as army officer’s wives moved west and adapted to the new environment, the positions and roles of women changed to the point that the Eastern Victorian Lady they were formerly seen as, was considered to be the woman that had been left behind. Turner’s thesis would agree with this idea, because Eales is saying that the women of the frontier had a large and unique change in lifestyle that was significant to creating a new and unique
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The women of the frontier adapted to chasing out rattlesnakes and tarantulas, as well as quickly learned what supplies to gather along the trail in order to survive. These experiences that the women had to endure, gave them a unique character, making them tough and rugged in contrast to the Victorian lady. The women exemplified the idea of Turner’s thesis, they show the change of people’s character therefore creating a unique