The Job: An American Novel, by Sinclair Lewis
One of the Rarest Sinclair Lewis Novels
The serious novel out of two 1917 releases
"The Job" takes place over a decade from 1905-1915. In this novel the hero is actually a heroine: Miss Una Golden. In 1905 she is 24 yrs. old and lives in the town of Panama, Pennsylvania.
The rest of the story over those ten years is about Una's determination to find a good, romantic man to fall in love with while also making a career for herself in business, considered a "man's job."
Walter Babson is an early suitor who appears like a good man. However, there is another man who appears, a widower named Edward Schwirtz who is a smooh talking salesman. In a bad decision, she marries him. The next couple years are unhappy and finally she divorces him.
The novel focuses a lot on the issues of exploited workers, particularly women workers. This time period the question really is work vs. marriage since it was deeply frowned upon for a woman to do both.
It is difficult for working women to find a mate because there is a stigma attached to working, part of the reason that Una makes a bad decision to marry the wrong man.
But along the way, she meets very influential women, and Una proves to be a smart, capable woman who finds her way in a male dominated world. Despite a lot of darkness, this book ends up with a deus ex machina happy ending in the last few pages.
The first man she really had any interest in, Walter Babson, turns up again and the ending pages cause the reader to believe that they will make there future together, both with jobs, and hoping to have children.
This book was very controversial during its time, pushing women's rights, dealing with anti-Semetism, and this novel was daring enough to mention alcoholism, venereal disease, divorce, adoption by a single women, and women who drink and smoke. Through out dealing with all this, the main heroine, Una, still remains a proper Victorian lady.
This is an interesting work, an is considered by many to be the first of three novels written by Sinclair Lewis that strongly pushes the rights of the working woman.
Sinclair Lewis & Antique Novels
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Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand bySinclair Lewis on Wikipedia
Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 ? January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." His works are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values, as well as their strong characterizations of modern working women.
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Reprints of the most popular Sinclair Lewis novels
The Job by Sinclair Lewis on Blogs Across the Web
- REMOVE BOBBY STURGELL FROM THE FAA: "Randy Babbitt" by Sinclair ...
- Library » SINCLAIR LEWIS » BABBITT ? now reading, CHAPTER XIX Previous Chapter Next Chapter CHAPTER XIX CHAPTER XIX I THE Zenith Street Traction Company planned to build car-repair shops in the suburb of Dorchester, but when they came to buy the land they found it held, on options, .... And me--you're right, Babbitt, I've been going crooked, but now I'm going straight, and the first step will be to get a job in some office where the boss doesn't talk about Ideals. ...
- THE CASE FOR FAA HEAD STURGELL'S INDICTMENT: "Randy Babbitt" by ...
- Library » SINCLAIR LEWIS » BABBITT ? now reading, CHAPTER XVIII Previous Chapter Next Chapter CHAPTER XVIII CHAPTER XVIII I THOUGH he saw them twice daily, though he knew and amply discussed every detail of their expenditures, ... of a mind which reveres details and never quite understands them; but she was one of the people who give an agitating impression of being on the point of doing something desperate--of leaving a job or a husband--without ever doing it. ...
- HIT THE BOBBY STURGELL "EJECT" BUTTON: "Randy Babbitt" by Sinclair ...
- Library » Sinclair Lewis » Babbitt ? now reading, CHAPTER VIII Previous Chapter Next Chapter CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER VIII I THE great events of Babbitt's spring were the secret buying of real-estate options in Linton for certain street- traction officials, ..... Prince Albert is john-on-the-job--always joy'usly more-ISH in flavor; always delightfully cool and fragrant! For a fact, you never hooked such double-decked, copper-riveted, two-fisted smoke enjoyment! ...
- THE END OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: "Randy Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis ...
- Library » Sinclair Lewis » Babbitt ? now reading, CHAPTER II Previous Chapter Next Chapter CHAPTER II CHAPTER II RELIEVED OF BABBITT'S BUMBLING AND THE SOFT GRUNTS WITH WHICH HIS WIFE EXPRESSED THE SYMPATHY SHE WAS TOO EXPERIENCED TO FEEL AND .... The sooner a man learns he isn't going to be coddled, and he needn't expect a lot of free grub and, uh, all these free classes and flipflop and doodads for his kids unless he earns 'em, why, the sooner he'll get on the job and ...

