The main character of the book, Allison Mackenzie, came from a middle-class family that owned a home off Chestnut Street. Her mother, Constance, owned a shop in town called the Thrifty Corner Apparel Shoppe. Allison was born out of wedlock and her father was out of the picture. Constance was ashamed of this fact and hide her secret past from society. The situation surrounding Allison was an example of the time period’s denial of family dysfunction. According to Elian Tyler May, a woman’s reputation is deeply tied to her sexual behavior. Constance became overwhelmed with fear that Allison would get into trouble or somehow damage their reputation. An example from Peyton Place, Allison and her friends play a kissing game at Allison’s birthday party. Constance was terrified that Allison would make the same mistake that she did and that Allison would begin to have interest in sexual activities. This fear that Constance made affected Allison greatly. Allison would have no interest in boys and became obsessed with her mystery father.
During the 1950s, society had begun to question people’s
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She thought it was distracting Allison from a positive future. Families in this era were so focused on one set direction for their child’s future. Families would ensure their children followed the right path that was set for them by societal standards, by taking drastic measures. Premarital sex was the biggest of these worries for families. An example in Peyton Place, was Rodney Harrington. Rodney engages in premarital sex with Betty Anderson and gets her pregnant. To be sure that Rodney’s reputation isn’t tarnished, his father goes to extreme measures to convince Betty to do something about the baby. Elain Tyler May said in her book Homeward Bound that sexual containment would create family harmony and would help foster wholesome