ScrystaLz, I think you are a little bit misinformed. It is true that women did not have as many rights as they do these days, but they were started to get more rights by 1912. Women could vote in some states by 1912. They would not be able to vote in federal elections and in all states until 1920, but things were starting to improve for them by then. I think it was in the 1870s and 1880s that married women were given property rights in most states. In 1912, and even for a long time after that, it would be harder for women to find a decent job, but they could do some things. They could be teachers, secretaries, waitresses, saloon girls, work at a shop or store, act on the stage or in early movies if they had talent. They could also own their own businesses. A few women were doctors and lawyers in this time period.
Rose was not sold to Cal That is exaggerating her situation way too much. Women were not sold to wealthy men. It is true that some wealth families arranged for their kids other wealthy people, but their kids did have the right to say no. Rose was afraid to say no because many wealthy people back then arranged for their kids to marriage other wealthy people and if they sometimes did not marry who their parents wanted them to marry, they were sometimes cut off from inheriting the family money and they were sometimes disowned. It was a social pressure, not a matter of the parents having the absolute power to marry their kids off to other wealthy people. It was 1912, not the middle ages. 1912 was not part of the middle ages or dark ages. I think that Rose was not sure what she was going to do if she refused to marry Cal. It was harder for women to find decent jobs back then and Rose did not have very much confidence in herself before she met Jack. Besides that, I doubt that Ruth would disown Rose or prevent her from inheriting what was left of the family money. Ruth would be upset if Rose refused to marry Cal when he proposed to her, but she would probably get over it and might decide to marry someone rich instead of Rose if Rose would be too difficult about marrying someone else rich.
In a way, I think that Rose liked money. She did not mind spending Cal's money on expensive paintings and new fancy dresses and hats. Judging from Rose's pictures at the end of the picture, she enjoyed spending her husbands money on going on a bunch of trips. Some of those she may have payed for herself before she married him, but I bet she did not mind spending her husband's money on whatever she wanted such as traveling, new dresses and hats, and art supplies. She liked Jack because he helped her improve her self esteem about thinking that she can't do things on her own. She also liked him because he also liked art like she did. She also thought that he would be a good way to get away from Cal and her mother instead of just calling off her engagement with Cal herself. You are right. Rose did not love money, but that does not mean that she disliked it either. She just wanted a lifestyle change and do what she wants to do. That doesn't mean that she did not appreciate the things that money can buy.
I also know that Jack drew other things besides naked women. I did pay attention during the movie. I have not seen the movie in a few years. I'm not sure if it is true that he had more drawings of other things besides naked women than he did of naked women, but he had a lot of drawings of naked women. If Jack lived, I don't think that him and Jack would stay together for very long. It is true that Rose wanted to live a more adventurous life, but if Jack could not keep a decent job and they lived under a bridge, she would get sick of that. They could be friends, but if he stayed poor and lived under a bridge, I doubt that she would marry him. You are also wrong about the man only having the power to call off an engagement. Women could also call off an engagement and women also had the right to say no if a man asked her to marry him. If you are saying that it was usually a man that called off an engagement back then, that may be true, but women could call off an engagement if they wanted to and I'm sure some women back then did call off their engagements.
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