Analysis Of The Poem Our Summer A Bomber Factory By...

Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory, written by Constance Bowman Reid, tells the true story of herself and her friend, Clara Marie Allen and their summer spent working in an airplane factory in order to help out during World War II. These two women portray the bravery that women during wartime displayed, while unknowingly changing the way society would view women forever. The story of Bowman Reid and Allen gives an inside look on what it is really like to be a factory working female during the 1940s. This essay will delve into how the social class within society changed regarding women, how the country responded to women leaving their home lives to work in factories for war production, and if these women were working in†¦show more content†¦Bowman Reid gives the example of men treating the women as if they were actually men since they were not wearing a skirt. The second aspect observed in Slacks and Calluses is how the country embraced the idea of women l eaving their home lives to work in factories for war production. It is quite obvious in the attitudes of many Americans that they were not very thankful for the women’s help. Again, some jobs were looked more highly upon than others, but those who worked in the factories were not so beloved. Bowman Reid speaks of how difficult it was to receive service from a clerk at any place in the city. For example, there is an instance where Reid and Allen are mistreated by a clerk at a cafà ©. Our prime example of such a clerk was the girl behind the counter at the cafà © outside Gate Two, where delectable Double Decker Ice Cream Cones were sold every afternoon. [†¦] ‘Whaddayawant?’ she snarled out of the edges of her mouth to the people ahead of us who naturally wanted Double Decker Ice Cream Cones too. ‘Shut up and wait your turn. I’ll get to you when I’m good and ready!’ (Bowman Reid, 68) This quote shows how women employed at the factories were not supported by the rest of the country, not even from other women. They were expected to help out, yet they were treated poorly when they did. The final discussion from Slacks and Calluses is whether