I Guess Elly Will be Getting a Job
As Elly Patterson was trying to remember what her field of interest is, we have the contrasting point-of-view with Dr. John Patterson in today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse. John would prefer if Elly does not work at all, even if she does manage to figure out what her field of interest is. Of course, John has to use the phrase “she can be as liberated as the rest of them” to remind us not only what time period it is, but also to remind us that John is an sexist pig.
The more interesting aspect of the strip is with the 2 women (1) Jean Baker, working in her dental assistant role and (2) the unknown woman who is the dental patient.
Jean Baker makes the statement which starts the strip off. “—with Michael in school, I guess Elly will be getting a job!” Now why would she make that presumption? Most stay-at-home moms I know, like to stay at home for all their kids, not just the first born. If Lizzie were in school (and April hadn’t arrived yet), I could see Jean making that statement. As it is, it makes little sense, unless Jean Baker thinks that only boys are worth staying home for. I suspect the real reason is that both Lynn Johnston’s kids were in school at the time and she wrote the strip from her perspective, even if her life did not exactly match that of Elly Patterson in timing.
Aside from Jean’s confusing presumptions, there is a lot of fun in watching her apparently put together the strange dental tool she hands to John. I also like the look of pure anger in the last panel from either a reaction to John’s sexist statement, or to what appears to be John closing his eyes and inserting that dental tool in his patient’s right temple.
As for the patient, she appears to be whirling around in her dental chair. John and Jean hold the same basic position, but the patient goes from left to center and then, quite mysteriously, starts heading down. She appears to be quite exasperated in the final panel, possibly from John’s sexist statement or the dental instrument John is inserting in the side of her head.
The dated part of the strip is the discussion equating a woman working with a woman being liberated. When this strip came out, in the early 1980s, I remember very clearly the topic of discussion for women’s liberation was the backlash of women who were tired of being told that they had to work in order to be considered liberated. Lynn’s topic would have been about 10 years out-of-date at the time the strip was originally published.
The more interesting aspect of the strip is with the 2 women (1) Jean Baker, working in her dental assistant role and (2) the unknown woman who is the dental patient.
Jean Baker makes the statement which starts the strip off. “—with Michael in school, I guess Elly will be getting a job!” Now why would she make that presumption? Most stay-at-home moms I know, like to stay at home for all their kids, not just the first born. If Lizzie were in school (and April hadn’t arrived yet), I could see Jean making that statement. As it is, it makes little sense, unless Jean Baker thinks that only boys are worth staying home for. I suspect the real reason is that both Lynn Johnston’s kids were in school at the time and she wrote the strip from her perspective, even if her life did not exactly match that of Elly Patterson in timing.
Aside from Jean’s confusing presumptions, there is a lot of fun in watching her apparently put together the strange dental tool she hands to John. I also like the look of pure anger in the last panel from either a reaction to John’s sexist statement, or to what appears to be John closing his eyes and inserting that dental tool in his patient’s right temple.
As for the patient, she appears to be whirling around in her dental chair. John and Jean hold the same basic position, but the patient goes from left to center and then, quite mysteriously, starts heading down. She appears to be quite exasperated in the final panel, possibly from John’s sexist statement or the dental instrument John is inserting in the side of her head.
The dated part of the strip is the discussion equating a woman working with a woman being liberated. When this strip came out, in the early 1980s, I remember very clearly the topic of discussion for women’s liberation was the backlash of women who were tired of being told that they had to work in order to be considered liberated. Lynn’s topic would have been about 10 years out-of-date at the time the strip was originally published.
posted by howard at 11:25 PM
14 Comments:
When this strip came out, in the early 1980s, I remember very clearly the topic of discussion for women’s liberation was the backlash of women who were tired of being told that they had to work in order to be considered liberated. Lynn’s topic would have been about 10 years out-of-date at the time the strip was originally published.
Almost every attitude or belief Lynn has is at least a decade out of date so it's sort of obvious that she and John would trailing far behind the curve. Lynn, and by extention, the Pattersons are what some people call 'late adopters'; they remind me of the parents on 'Raymond' who have yet to buy a microwave or VCR and still have a rotary phone.
Kate would have been about three--almost four--months away from turning three when this strip originally ran. I'd be surprised if LJ had her in school that early. However, she was producing the strip from home and maybe had help with Kate for part of the day. Maybe she was trying to graft her working at home on a comic strip with a job Elly could work--only it doesn't match up. But I agree--Jean's assumption comes out of nowhere and makes no sense. Surely, she must know that the Pattersons have a second child who is not yet two.
Either in 1980 or now, a woman in Elly's position (wife of a dentist, two young children, incomplete college education in English, no particularly marketable skills) who wanted a job would most likely start working part-time as her husband's office manager. She would not go to work as a cook or a waitress, especially since she'd be working late afternoons and evenings when her eldest was not in school.
Jean Baker would probably know this very well and would keep her mouth shut, lest, Elly crowd her out of the administrative side of her job.
John Patterson's caricatured views are a red herring. The fact of the matter is that, as evidenced by her choosing to remain a stay-at-home mom for several years after Michael started grade school, the character of Elly didn't really want to work, much less to have a career, and her creator, Lynn Johnston, didn't want to give up on the stay-at-home mom storylines either.
DreadedCandiru2,
Lynn, and by extention, the Pattersons are what some people call 'late adopters'; they remind me of the parents on 'Raymond' who have yet to buy a microwave or VCR and still have a rotary phone.
The difference being, that on Everybody Loves Raymond, the parents’ attitude toward new technology is done for comic effect. With Lynn Johnston, it’s the real thing.
aprilp_katje,
But I agree--Jean's assumption comes out of nowhere and makes no sense. Surely, she must know that the Pattersons have a second child who is not yet two.
Jean’s opinion seems to be more of a plot contrivance than anything else. She is there to support Elly’s view, especially in the light of the fact Jean is married and works. Anne Nichols doesn’t fit the bill for this. Connie Poirier doesn’t either, because she is a single mom. Jean is married and works and it is not until 1984 that it is established that she has no kids.
Anonymous,
She would not go to work as a cook or a waitress, especially since she'd be working late afternoons and evenings when her eldest was not in school.
The other popular alternative is the home-based business, like Tupperware or Mary Kay or the one my wife does, Homemade Gourmet.
John Patterson's caricatured views are a red herring.
I view the perspective as just another way to show John off as a chauvinistic pig, which was a popular theme for the early years of the strip.
The fact of the matter is that, as evidenced by her choosing to remain a stay-at-home mom for several years after Michael started grade school, the character of Elly didn't really want to work, much less to have a career, and her creator, Lynn Johnston, didn't want to give up on the stay-at-home mom storylines either.
Very true. Those stay-at-home mom stories were her bread-and-butter. The Lilliput’s work story did not come up until both Michael and Elizabeth were out of the house.
The other popular alternative is the home-based business, like Tupperware
That's coming soon: Annie suggests to Elly that they throw a "Grubberware" or "Supperware" (can't remember which) party and Elly replies that only bored suburban housewives do something like that. Annie (possibly Connie) gives Elly a pointed look and Elly grumbles, "OK, when should we have it?"
I *think* this is the party around Hallowe'en (so it could pop up in the next few weeks) where John is bringing home a Dracula costume for Mike -- "Appropriate for a dentist's kid, don't you think?" -- and he and Ted conceive the notion that it would be hilarious to pop in the vampire teeth and leer at the Tupperware party attendees through the window. Some random Milborough mutant (Mavis Snodgrass, I think) goes into hysterics and another races out with a frying pan and bashes John in the head. She apologizes afterwards, saying that she thought it was just some idiot, to which Elly helpfully replies, "It was."
It's pretty likely we'll see these strips again, especially as the bash John aspects are physical.
Word verification: tedium. Yes, really.
howtheduck:
Jean is married and works and it is not until 1984 that it is established that she has no kids.
Is that the year Jean had her baby? (I don't remember off-hand.)
forworse, I don't think the "Grubberware" sequence happens in the second year--maybe a couple-few years more....
About the vampire teeth Tupperware party thing: are these people 14? Also, hah-hah Elly's husband has been severely injured, what a laugh riot.
About the vampire teeth Tupperware party thing: are these people 14?
Nah--the 14-year-olds have a more sophisticated sense of humor. ;)
Also, hah-hah Elly's husband has been severely injured, what a laugh riot.
I know. 0_o
forworse,
That's coming soon: Annie suggests to Elly that they throw a "Grubberware" or "Supperware" (can't remember which) party and Elly replies that only bored suburban housewives do something like that. Annie (possibly Connie) gives Elly a pointed look and Elly grumbles, "OK, when should we have it?"
To Lynn’s credit, such a strip does actually fall into the timeless category. Women still have Tupperware parties to this day, and they are not much different from the ones I remember when I was young. However, I know from firsthand experience, the women who do such parties often do so because they are tied down to the home from dealing with kids, and these businesses provide them with a work outlet. Unlike my school days, my kids have been going to schools with “early out” days once a week since they were in kindergarten, and think nothing of calling a parent to bring their kid home early for the slightest of disciplinary infractions. I have wondered how a single parent could possibly handle it. My wife does the stay-at-home mom thing, and the schools keep her hopping with their regularly-varying alternate schedules.
…he and Ted conceive the notion that it would be hilarious to pop in the vampire teeth and leer at the Tupperware party attendees through the window. Some random Milborough mutant (Mavis Snodgrass, I think) goes into hysterics and another races out with a frying pan and bashes John in the head.
It’s hard to believe 2 grown adult males would conceive of something like that. I suspect it was just an opportunity for Lynn to work in some “frying pan” style violence (Lynn’s favourite) against John.
aprilp_katje,
Is that the year Jean had her baby? (I don't remember off-hand.)
According to the Jean Baker biography on Who’s Who it was. Beth mentions the year in the bio so specifically, I suspect it is correct.
I've never heard of the "early out" thing so I could be mistaken, but the schoolbus probably just takes the kids to daycare exactly the same way they do on a normal schoolday, and the parents pick them up after they get off work, so it's probably not a big deal. Calling parents to take misbehaving kids home regularly, though, sounds very weird to me. It was a huge deal when one kid punched another once in class in middle school, and his parents were called to pick him up to begin his suspension. I don't think he ever lived it down -- though that was more about the fact that he up and slugged a guy than about his punishment.
Clio,
...but the schoolbus probably just takes the kids to daycare exactly the same way they do on a normal schoolday
My wife tells me this is not the case. In the elementary schools, they have an after care program at the school with space for a very limited number of kids. There is a waiting list.
Calling parents to take misbehaving kids home regularly, though, sounds very weird to me.
Without going into a long story about my son and his Asperger's Syndrome, let me just say that he never did anything violent (like slugging another kid); but during his 4th grade year in the local public school, we would get called to pick him up early 1-2 times every week. After that year, we transferred him to a Montessori charter school, where we got called to pick him 3-4 times in a year. The difference was like night and day.
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