The lives of the female characters in One Came Home are heavily influenced by the roles others assign to them and the weight of social expectations. Through the futures envisioned for Agatha and Georgie, as well as how the two girls respond to these futures, the novel explores how the pressure of societal expectations influences whether each girl ultimately accepts or rejects the path laid out for her. As young women in 1871, they are subject to the authority of their grandfather, who is the senior male in their household. 

Their grandfather expects both girls to play critical roles in their families and communities, and he determines these roles based on each girl’s perceived strengths. Georgie’s responsible nature, aptitude for business, and head for numbers lead her grandfather to believe that she is an ideal candidate to take over the family store. To prepare her, he involves her in the store’s daily operations, and Georgie finds herself performing agreeable tasks such as bookkeeping and less pleasant ones like scrubbing pigeon droppings off the building. Georgie takes pride in the work and enjoys her success as a salesperson. As a result of the sense of competence and usefulness this work gives her, Georgie feels she is contributing to the family and the community; in turn, she doesn’t question her assigned role or the expectations laid out for her by her grandfather and, by extension, the townspeople. Ultimately, Georgie’s self-perception aligns with her grandfather’s expectations, and this leads to fulfillment.

In contrast, Agatha experiences a rift between what she wants and what is expected of her, and this ultimately pushes her away from her home. Agatha wants to experience the world and obtain a university education. However, these goals do not align with what her grandfather wants for her or with the limited roles available to young women of the time. Her grandfather views Agatha’s whimsical nature and physical beauty as resources that will help her make a socially advantageous match, and he concludes that she can serve the family best by marrying well. Agatha tries to assert some agency over her future by showing a preference for Billy since he plans to move to Minnesota after marriage, and Agatha believes this match would satisfy both her grandfather’s expectations and her own desire to experience the world. Rather than accept this, her grandfather pushes her toward Mr. Olmstead, both because he is financially successful and because he believes that Agatha’s “beauty would surely go to seed after a year or two of homesteading through Minnesota winters” (77). This comment reveals how Agatha’s grandfather views her beauty as her most valuable asset and uses it to get what he believes is best for the family. Agatha leaves Placid because she refuses to give into her grandfather’s expectations. It is a defiant act that emphasizes her need for independence and stresses that she wants to be valued for more than just her looks. 

In this way, the novel shows how societal expectations can either reinforce a character’s sense of identity, as with Georgie, or become an obstacle, as with Agatha.