The Forgotten Field of Interest
Today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse provides an interesting mental exercise.
Elly says, “Either I have too much education for most of these jobs or I don’t have enough!”
As we know, Elly has a high school education with a few semester of university courses she was taking towards a major in English. It is easy to figure out jobs for which Elly does not have enough education. The tricky part is to figure out jobs for which Elly is overqualified.
Looking on-line I have found those jobs to fit Elly’s category:
Personal and home care aides
Home health aides
Amusement and recreation attendants
Guards
Adjustment clerks
Cashier
Janitors and cleaners, including maids and housekeepers
Salespersons, retail
Waiters and waitresses
It is no surprise then that Elly comes up with clerk and waitress as possibilities.
Then Elly says, “But I really want a challenging career in my field of interest! - If I can remember what it is…” It was English, Elly; because supposedly you want to be a writer.
One possible interpretation of the dialogue would be that Elly has a serious short-term memory problem. However, to the demographic for whom this strip was intended to appeal, what we have is the stay-at-home mother or wife with a desire to be great and significant for something other than being a mother or wife. The only problem is that the woman has no earthly idea what that something other could be. This is definitely aimed at women, who do not have to work, but who do not have a great deal of disposable money. For a woman, who has to work, there is no question that you take the job for which you can get hired, that pays the best, be it a clerk or waitress or something else. For a wealthy woman who does not have to work, the question is how she is going to spend her time and her money. Elly does not have to work, but does not have a lot of money to throw around. Therefore, her desire for work is based solely on personal satisfaction. The problem is that Elly does not know what would satisfy her. This strip works well with that understanding.
We are going to see Elly struggle with this for the next 20 years, until John buys her the toy and book store Lilliput’s in 2000. Just 3 years later in 2003, Elly starts talking about retirement. And in 2006, Elly actually does sell the bookstore and retire. However, before that can happen, notice what happens in this strip. Yes, employee Beatrice Alfarero has to tell Elly that she has created a landmark. In other words, Elly has achieved greatness and significance. She has met her goal from 1980.
Elly says, “Either I have too much education for most of these jobs or I don’t have enough!”
As we know, Elly has a high school education with a few semester of university courses she was taking towards a major in English. It is easy to figure out jobs for which Elly does not have enough education. The tricky part is to figure out jobs for which Elly is overqualified.
Looking on-line I have found those jobs to fit Elly’s category:
Personal and home care aides
Home health aides
Amusement and recreation attendants
Guards
Adjustment clerks
Cashier
Janitors and cleaners, including maids and housekeepers
Salespersons, retail
Waiters and waitresses
It is no surprise then that Elly comes up with clerk and waitress as possibilities.
Then Elly says, “But I really want a challenging career in my field of interest! - If I can remember what it is…” It was English, Elly; because supposedly you want to be a writer.
One possible interpretation of the dialogue would be that Elly has a serious short-term memory problem. However, to the demographic for whom this strip was intended to appeal, what we have is the stay-at-home mother or wife with a desire to be great and significant for something other than being a mother or wife. The only problem is that the woman has no earthly idea what that something other could be. This is definitely aimed at women, who do not have to work, but who do not have a great deal of disposable money. For a woman, who has to work, there is no question that you take the job for which you can get hired, that pays the best, be it a clerk or waitress or something else. For a wealthy woman who does not have to work, the question is how she is going to spend her time and her money. Elly does not have to work, but does not have a lot of money to throw around. Therefore, her desire for work is based solely on personal satisfaction. The problem is that Elly does not know what would satisfy her. This strip works well with that understanding.
We are going to see Elly struggle with this for the next 20 years, until John buys her the toy and book store Lilliput’s in 2000. Just 3 years later in 2003, Elly starts talking about retirement. And in 2006, Elly actually does sell the bookstore and retire. However, before that can happen, notice what happens in this strip. Yes, employee Beatrice Alfarero has to tell Elly that she has created a landmark. In other words, Elly has achieved greatness and significance. She has met her goal from 1980.
posted by howard at 10:58 PM
10 Comments:
However, to the demographic for whom this strip was intended to appeal, what we have is the stay-at-home mother or wife with a desire to be great and significant for something other than being a mother or wife. The only problem is that the woman has no earthly idea what that something other could be. This is definitely aimed at women, who do not have to work, but who do not have a great deal of disposable money.
I should think that a lot of the women I liken to the followers of Jim Jones fall nicely into that category. This is because they marvel at how closely the strip comes to their own life experience.
Yes, employee Beatrice Alfarero has to tell Elly that she has created a landmark. In other words, Elly has achieved greatness and significance. She has met her goal from 1980.
And, having done so, moves on because she's finally happy and doesn't want to ruin things by resenting her success. I wonder what would happen if Lynn herself were to have thought that way.
Yes, employee Beatrice Alfarero has to tell Elly that she has created a landmark. In other words, Elly has achieved greatness and significance. She has met her goal from 1980.
And curiously, back when Lily Petrucci was talking about selling the place, it was Elly telling her that Lilliput's was a landmark. Hmmm.
DreadedCandiru2,
I should think that a lot of the women I liken to the followers of Jim Jones fall nicely into that category. This is because they marvel at how closely the strip comes to their own life experience.
I don’t know that this is necessarily limited to Jim Jones. I remember reading an interview with Scott Adams of Dilbert, who said that the secret to his success was not his art, but the fact that he is able to get examples from people’s workplaces for his stories that match other people’s own work experiences. It’s a similar principle for Lynn Johnston, especially in the strips from her early years when she still had Kate and Aaron at home.
And, having done so, moves on because she's finally happy and doesn't want to ruin things by resenting her success. I wonder what would happen if Lynn herself were to have thought that way.
That’s an interesting “what if”. Way back when, Lynn had planned to retire to spend time with Rod, and Rod had already sold his business and retired the year before. She had a contract to go to September, 2007; and many of us at the time were certain that the strip would end with Elizabeth getting married using a quote from the title of the strip. Although Lynn may blame her divorce in 2007 for derailing her retirement plans, I know full well that Lynn had not progressed the storyline with Elizabeth and Anthony in early, 2007 to the point where they would have any chance of marrying by September, 2007. If I could tell that Lynn was not going to retire the strip, then Rod had to know it too. How would things have changed, if she really had decided to retire? We will never know. Even though she talks about straight reprints coming soon, the more new-runs I see, the more I doubt that this will ever happen.
aprilp_katje,
And curiously, back when Lily Petrucci was talking about selling the place, it was Elly telling her that Lilliput's was a landmark. Hmmm.
Maybe Lilliput’s has always been a landmark (compliments to the real Gulliver’s), but Beatrice Alfarero is unaware that Elly did not start Lilliput’s. Either that or Beatrice is just a suck-up.
Maybe Lilliput’s has always been a landmark (compliments to the real Gulliver’s), but Beatrice Alfarero is unaware that Elly did not start Lilliput’s. Either that or Beatrice is just a suck-up.
I think the former is the more likely. I think she's from out of town and might not know that Elly wasn't the boss forever.
"Either that or Beatrice is just a suck-up."
I personally think that was part of the interview process, to be employed by Elly.
Bet it was a requirement for Lynn's staff, too.
debjyn,
"Either that or Beatrice is just a suck-up." I personally think that was part of the interview process, to be employed by Elly.
This comment with today’s strip reminds me about Beatrice Alfarero. When she was hired, Elly’s monthly letter described her background as:
She has wonderful credentials. She graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in archaeology and worked in the Yucatan uncovering parts of Tulum - a temple we visited while on holiday. She met her husband in Cancun while he was on military leave and moved with him to San Diego. Being a mom made working in the field or working full time difficult. Like me, she volunteered at the public library and became familiar with books - which she loves. She speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. Although I told her she was overqualified, she assures us the job will hold her interest and is exactly what she was looking for.
It’s funny that Lynn felt the need to make a big deal how Beatrice was overqualified for the job. That eliminates any speculation about the motivations for hiring.
Bet it was a requirement for Lynn's staff, too.
Actually, as near as I can tell, Lynn hired most of her staff due to personal recommendation, and not by going through an interview process. There was a nice article on-line (no longer there, unfortunately), which describe how many of Lynn’s former employees were graduates from Canadore College. Laura Piché was on staff at Canadore and was recruited by Lynn. Laura then recruited 2 of her friends from Canadore, Jackie Levesque to do colour and Stephanie Van Doleweerd to do Lynn’s web design.
On a completely unrelated topic, I found this interesting webpage. I remember some months back in some interview where Lynn Johnston was railing against art students who wouldn't follow instruction and she mentioned that women, and men under the age of 18, were the best students. Well, here's a man who appears to have been one of the under 18 art students. I did not know that Lynn Johnston gave private art lessons.
"I hope to combat the over-simplifications of mass media dominated culture, and the homogenizations of capitalist consumerist society."
This guy was a student of Lynn Johnston? Ms. Whitebread Suburban Conformity herself? Maybe she influenced his spelling.
Clio,
Well, it could because of Lynn Johnston that the man developed these opinions.
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