Stanton’s “Declaration of Sentiments” advocated for equality between men and women in the 19th century. She envisioned a world where women had the same options as men. During that time, women held an inferior status in society and faced repression both politically and socially. At the time, women were brought up aspiring to get married and having a family. In Harper’s short story “The Two Offers,” she portrays the lives of two women. One follows traditions where a woman’s role in society is that of being a wife while the other woman is more open-minded and has aspirations just like the men in society. Harper uses the stories of two cousins, Laura and Janette, who come from different social classes and have a different outlook on life. While Laura is more inclined to marriage, Janette represents the independent woman who has dreams and is not afraid of becoming an old maid. When Laura says to Janette, “Oh! what a little preacher you are. I really believe that you were cut out for an old
maid; that when nature formed you, she put in a double portion of intellect to make up for a
deficiency of love; and yet you are kind and affectionate. But I do not think that you know
anything of the grand, over-mastering passion, or the deep necessity of woman’s heart for
loving,” it is evidence of how she perceived marriage as the ultimate dream of any woman.
Harper’s story is aimed at enlightening women who have much more to offer to society than settling to being a wife. She uses Janette’s character to preach independence and freedom and help women and society change their perception of women, whether married or not.