Dissension over dinner
In polite colonial society of Hobart in the 1800's it was not done for women to voice views which contradicted the majority view- about the treatment of Aboriginal people, convicts or women. I like to believe that some women held views which were not in accord with the prevailing norms of the time, even if they were not easily voiced. Dissension over dinner records these unsaid thoughts and places them firmly in the middle of the dinner conversation.