LSSL 5360: Module 5 -- Historical Fiction

The Hired Girl

By Laura Amy Schlitz

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schlitz, L. A. (2017). The hired girl. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

Joan Skaggs was always a quick learner and lover of books, but her father decides that she can no longer go to school.  Joan’s mother passed away a few years ago and since then she has taken care of the house, garden, chickens, and cooks for her father and three brothers.  Her works goes unappreciated, she decides to go on strike with a few of her nonessential chores, and in retaliation her father burns her books.  That’s the last straw for Joan and she runs away from home.  Joan’s train arrives in Baltimore too late for her to find lodgings, and she finds a park in a nice area to stay for the night.  Solomon Rosenbach finds her, and offers her place to stay for the night at his parent’s house.  The Rosenbach’s hire her to assist their longtime servant Malka, and are quite surprised when she’s up to the task and the scrutiny of Malka.  Joan introduces herself as Janet Lovelace, because she doesn’t want to be found if her family was to come looking for her.  During her time working for the Rosenbach’s she has an impact on all four children’s lives, and helps the two sons get on the path of what they want to be in life.  She has adventures, is shown the beauty of art, and gets the opportunity to read books from Mr. Rosenbach’s library.  Through crushes and confusion the Rosenbach’s discover who she really is, but she’s surprised when they don’t turn her away.  Joan continues to help Anna with Oskar, on Sabbath she’s the Shabbos goy, and receives a scholarship to attend the new school Mr. Rosenbach built.  Joan will be able to receive the education her mother always dreamed of for her, and will grow up to become a woman just as Malka instructed her to. 

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Schlitz writes a riveting story of a young girl whose been dealt a bad hand, who decides to take a risk because she believes she’s destined for a better life.  She writes Joan’s story chronologically in diary format.  This allows the story to be written in first person, and allows the reader insight into Joan’s deepest thoughts and feelings.  The Hired Girl is written authentically for the time period and throughout the novel historical aspects are explained.  Through Joan’s narrative, Schlitz touches on how women’s education was viewed during the time, and how Joan’s father believed her only role in life was to keep house.  Joan had Mrs. Chandler as role model, her mother wanted her to be a school teacher, and she knew there was more out in there in the world than for her to just cook and clean.  Both Joan and the Rosenbach’s go into detail about their faiths and as Mr. Rosenbach often states they live in America, which means they both respect each other’s right to religious freedom.  Schlitz gives accurate portrayals of Christianity, Catholics, and Jews; how they worship, pray, conduct their households, and observe religious holidays.  Also, she portrays the class levels of that time period, and how it was frowned upon for servants and those they worked for to be seen out in public.  When the story begins, the reader is able to see the harsh reality of Joan’s life on her family’s farm in Pennsylvania and hard labor she puts in day in and day out.  The setting then shifts to the hustle and bustle of city life in Baltimore, and how easy it is for a young girl like Joan to be overlooked on the streets.  The reader is able to see how fortunate Joan was to be taken and hired by the Rosenbach’s and that they were in a high social class.  As a result, that’s why it was so frowned upon for David and Mimi to be seen out and about with Joan.  Joan’s character is well developed and the reader can’t help but root for her.  Schlitz does an amazing job with secondary characters as well, such as Mr. Rosenbach, Mimi, and Malka.  All three of them see the great qualities and true potential within Joan, and come to her defense at the end of the story.  My favorite part was Joan’s love of literature and her references to great works throughout her diary, especially her connection to Jane Eyre.  Schlitz wrote an amazing coming of age story during a time when a woman could dream bigger than just simply being a housewife.

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist’s Review:  “Written as a diary, the first-person narrative brings immediacy to Joan’s story and intimacy to her confessions and revelations. The distinctive household setting and the many secondary characters are well developed, while Joan comes alive on the page as a vulnerable, good-hearted, and sometimes painfully self-aware character struggling to find her place in the world. A memorable novel from a captivating storyteller.”  (Reviewed 7/15)

Publisher Weekly’s Review:  “Schlitz (Splendors & Glooms) has crafted another exquisite literary gem, one told entirely via Joan’s vivid, humorous, and emotionally resonant diary entries over a year and a half. Through Joan’s naïve perspective, Schlitz frankly discusses class, religion, women’s education, art, literature, and romance.”  (Reviewed 9/8/2015)

5)    CONNECTIONS

o   This is a great book if you are teaching:

§  Social Classes during the early 1900s

§  Evolution of Women’s Education

§  Religion

§  1^st POV

§  Writing in Diary Format

o   Other similar stories:

Simon, T.R.  OSKAR AND THE EIGHT BLESSINGS  ISBN 9781596439498

Crowder, Melanie.  AUDACITY  ISBN 9780399168994

Choldenko, Gennifer.  CHASING SECRETS  ISBN 9780375990632

Frost, Helen.  CROSSING STONES  ISBN 9780374316532