A Founding Mother

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams

63 pages2-hour read

Fiction

Novel

Adult

Published in 2026

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Symbols & Motifs

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes a discussion of gender discrimination, illness, and death.

Farming and Gardening (Peacefield)

The Adams family farm, which John eventually names Peacefield, is a powerful symbol of both the American republican ideal and Abigail’s personal domain of independent action. For John, the farm represents the Cincinnatus ideal: a place of virtuous, simple labor to which a statesman can retire in solace after serving his country. For Abigail, however, the farm is the tangible reality of The Invisible Labor of Women. While John is away, she is not a philosopher-farmer but a manager struggling against drought, difficult tenants, wartime scarcity, and social constraints to keep her family and the enterprise afloat. Her decision to fire her insubordinate farmhands and become a landlady, sparked by the thought that a man of pride would “rather work his own land if he could get a parcel” (114), is a key moment of self-empowerment. This business decision demonstrates her shrewdness and her ability to innovate outside of traditional female roles. By successfully running the farm and using its proceeds to invest and build her own fortune, Abigail transforms the symbol of her domestic burden into proof of her economic independence and resilience. By the end of their lives, Peacefield becomes a source of comfort and solace primarily because of Abigail’s efforts. Therefore, it is not just a home but the physical manifestation of her strength, competence, and motherly love.

Illness, Inoculation, and Medicine

The constant threat of illness and the primitive, often brutal, medical practices of the 18th century symbolize the fragility of life and the immense courage required for survival. These trials, which Abigail frequently endures without her husband, highlight the resilience and fortitude required to survive in such a precarious world. Her decision to have her children inoculated against smallpox is an early act of bravery, where she knowingly risks their lives to protect them from a greater danger. The dysentery that sweeps through Braintree, claiming the life of her mother who came to nurse her, demonstrates her isolation and the high price of maternal sacrifice. The most visceral manifestation of this symbol is Nabby’s horrific mastectomy, performed without anesthesia. As she witnesses her daughter’s silent, stoic suffering, Abigail’s whisper, “That’s my brave girl,” (410) becomes proof of the quiet, unheralded heroism of women facing life’s most brutal realities. These recurring scenes of sickness and medical trial reveal that the greatest battles of the era were often fought not on the fields of war but in the sickroom, where courage was measured in silent endurance rather than public glory.

The Portia Pendant

The Portia pendant is a motif representing the idealized, self-sacrificing role John expects Abigail to play and the inherent tensions of Marriage as an Unequal Partnership. When John departs for France, he gifts her the locket, explicitly telling her, “You are my Portia,” (108) linking her to the stoic Roman matron who heroically supported her husband’s political cause. The pendant’s motto, “I yield—whatever is—is right,” (108) encapsulates the expectation for women to possess passive acceptance and submission. For years, Abigail wears the locket, embracing this identity as a patriot sacrificing for the greater good. The symbol’s meaning is radically redefined, however, when she receives John’s cruel and dismissive letters from France. In a moment of deep crisis, she realizes the illusion of their partnership and “tore it from my neck,” (135) a physical act of rebellion against the submissive identity he has imposed upon her. This rejection of the pendant marks her turn toward greater emotional and financial independence, as she refuses to yield to unjust treatment. The pendant thus charts Abigail’s journey from a wife who accepts a prescribed role to a woman who insists on defining her own worth and agency, even within the confines of an unequal marriage.