Marriage in the 19th century Marriage is the union of two people as husband and wife according to laws and customs. In our society today, women marry of their own free will and gain respect from their spouse. “A 21st Century Dream” is a story written by “Winnifred Harper Cooly”. It is a young woman's dream. Imagine that women in the 21st century will have a better place in society. Ideal marriages in the 19th century were very difficult to achieve and most of the time they were without true love. This tale tells that women of that time would marry someone to overcome financial difficulties. It also describes the lack of respect between married couples. Marriages in the 19th century were performed for women's financial security. "The goal of women was to marry and do domestic work," - Shanny Meideï, Women's Work, p.150. The reason why women wanted to engage in domestic work is because the working conditions were terrible at that time. The only way to get rid of that job was to get married. "Everyone gets married, and the number of ideal ones...