What are the values, attitudes and beliefs embedded in the poem "Smalltown Dance" by Judith Wright? What attitudes does the poem reflect about these...

Judith
Wright wrote many of her poems in the 1950s when there was a consciousness in the Western World
of the rights of women. However, attitudes - and that would be of women themselves as well as
their male counterparts - did not support the philosophy of equality.

The
value system, as reflected in Smalltown Dance is so well entrenched, being
"an ancient dance" that it is hard to even imagine any other way. It is " some
impossible world." Of course, if the women do not even believe they can expand their views
because they know  " where danger lies" then things will never change and they will
continue to "keep things orderly."

The women do appear to be aware
that there is the potential for change but, even those who do try to leave and manage to shrug
off some of the restrictions and "struggle from the peg"  never make anything of it as
they do not "travel far." The women realize that even though it "might symbolise
/ something," the means of going beyond don't exist. The fact that the women are concerned
about "the household budget" also reveals their limited financial means, there isn't
enough money to repeat efforts if mistakes are made. It will certainly "not stretch to
more."

It is clear then that it is society's realities and embedded
ideas (typical in this era) that contribute to their dreams put away and being nothing more than
a little girl's " glimpse of unobstructed waiting green."