I don't understand why Ruth Hall can't find a job, and why all these people refuse to hire her. Is it just because she came from a wealthy background or do they have something else against her?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2000

Answers

They know her background. They know she comes from a wealthy family. They believe they have no proper work for her to do, something that reflects her position in society. Also, her family doesn't help when they keep telling people that they will take care of her and that she doesn't need the work. Her family is her worst enemy.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2000

I agree totally with the answer that melanie gave. These people know her background. I think her family is hurting her the most because they tell the employers that they are supporting her. It just wasn't right for someone from a wealthy family to need to work.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

I think that Ruth couldn't find a job because the community knew her background. They thought that she should be supported by her family. They also knew that she didn't work a whole lot before. They probably figure that she isn't good enough at anything to hire her.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

Ruth, coming from a very wealthy family and being a lady it was not culturally right for her to work. Her family was a big problem b/c they kept saying that they would take care of her. I believe that she really didn't want to be fully taken care of by her family because then why would she want a job. I think that she just wanted to get away from her family a bit and feel what it is like to acutally have a job and not be in a wealthy family where everything was handed to her.

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2000

I agree that Ruth Hall's background does effect the way people see her. The community had trouble seeing her working for them because she comes from a rich family. They feel that she maybe too good for the work or wouldn't want to do the job. They didn't feel comfortable having a rich person working for them.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

First of all, i agree with the fact that people automatically assumed she had wealth because of her family. It was even identified that friends of Harry would have helped if they really knew her poverty. Second of all, she was a woman. Look at the time period-equality was absent, and women were never given the title of "intelligent". It was twice as hard for her to prove worth and talent.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

When Ruth began to write, she should have mailed her writings to those papers. They saw the writer before them as a woman and not as a writer in the second half of the book when she was trying to get a job. If she would have submitted her writings as a man, she probably would have gotten the first job that she applied for.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2000