Article #352-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Buttered Side Down: Stories, by Edna Ferber

"If I was to hear a cricket chirp now, I'd screech. This isn't really
quiet. It's like waiting for a cannon cracker to go off just before the
fuse is burned down. The bang isn't there yet, but you hear it a hundred
times in your mind before it happens."

"My name's Augustus G. Eddy," announced the Kid Next Door, solemnly.
"Back home they always called me Gus. You peel that orange while I
unroll the top of this sardine can. I'm guilty of having interrupted you
in the middle of what the girls call a good cry, and I know you'll have
to get it out of your system some way. Take a bite of apple and then
wade right in and tell me what you're doing in this burg if you don't
like it."

"This thing ought to have slow music," began Gertie. "It's pathetic. I
came to Chicago from Beloit, Wisconsin, because I thought that little
town was a lonesome hole for a vivacious creature like me. Lonesome!
Listen while I laugh a low mirthless laugh. I didn't know anything about
the three-ply, double-barreled, extra heavy brand of lonesomeness that a
big town like this can deal out. Talk about your desert wastes! They're
sociable and snug compared to this. I know three-fourths of the people
in Beloit, Wisconsin, by their first names. I've lived here six months
and I'm not on informal terms with anybody except Teddy, the landlady's
dog, and he's a trained rat-and-book-agent terrier, and not inclined to
overfriendliness. When I clerked at the Enterprise Store in Beloit the
women used to come in and ask for something we didn't carry just for an
excuse to copy the way the lace yoke effects were planned in my
shirtwaists. You ought to see the way those same shirtwaist stack up
here. Why, boy, the lingerie waists that the other girls in my
department wear make my best hand-tucked effort look like a simple
English country blouse. They're so dripping with Irish crochet and real
Val and Cluny insertions that it's a wonder the girls don't get
stoop-shouldered carrying 'em around."

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Buttered Side Down by Edna Ferber**

Context of the Work

Edna Ferber’s Buttered Side Down (1912) is a collection of short stories that explore the struggles of working-class women, particularly young women navigating urban life, economic hardship, and social isolation in early 20th-century America. Ferber, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author (for So Big, 1924), was known for her sharp social commentary and realistic portrayals of women’s lives, often highlighting the gap between rural simplicity and urban alienation.

This excerpt comes from the story "The Leading Lady" (sometimes titled "The Girl Who Gets What She Goes After" in later editions), which follows Gertie, a small-town girl who moves to Chicago in search of excitement and opportunity, only to find crushing loneliness and disillusionment. The passage captures her conversation with Augustus "Gus" Eddy, a neighbor who interrupts her crying fit and coaxes her into sharing her frustrations.

Themes in the Excerpt

Urban Alienation vs. Rural Belonging
- Gertie contrasts her life in Beloit, Wisconsin (a small, tight-knit community where she was admired and known) with Chicago, where she feels invisible and isolated.
- The city, rather than offering freedom, imposes a "three-ply, double-barreled, extra heavy brand of lonesomeness"—a metaphor suggesting that urban loneliness is more suffocating than rural solitude.
- The "desert wastes" comparison reinforces this: even barren landscapes feel "sociable and snug" compared to the impersonal city.
Economic and Social Competition
- Gertie’s lament about shirtwaists (blouses) symbolizes her struggle to keep up with urban standards of femininity and fashion.
- In Beloit, her hand-tucked lace yokes made her a trendsetter; in Chicago, her best efforts look plain and outdated beside the "Irish crochet and real Val [Valenciennes lace] and Cluny insertions" worn by other salesgirls.
- This reflects the pressure to conform in a consumerist city, where appearance dictates social worth.
The Illusion of Opportunity
- Gertie moved to Chicago expecting vibrancy and connection ("vivacious creature like me") but found emptiness.
- Her sarcastic humor ("Listen while I laugh a low mirthless laugh") underscores her disillusionment—she mocks her own naivety.
Gender and Class Struggles
- As a working-class woman, Gertie is both a consumer and a laborer (a salesclerk), yet she can’t afford the luxuries she sells.
- The lingerie imagery (delicate, expensive fabrics) contrasts with her economic reality, highlighting the exploitative nature of urban capitalism—she’s surrounded by beauty she can’t possess.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Metaphor & Simile
- "Like waiting for a cannon cracker to go off" – Gertie’s anxiety is compared to the suspense before an explosion, suggesting her nervous tension in the city.
- "Three-ply, double-barreled, extra heavy lonesomeness" – A hyperbolic metaphor emphasizing how urban isolation is layered and inescapable.
- "My best hand-tucked effort look like a simple English country blouse" – Her rural elegance is diminished in the city, reinforcing her social inferiority.
Irony & Sarcasm
- Gertie’s "mirthless laugh" is dripping with irony—she’s not amused, but bitter.
- The contrast between Beloit (where she was admired) and Chicago (where she’s invisible) is situational irony—she sought excitement but found erasure.
Colloquial & Conversational Tone
- Ferber uses naturalistic dialogue to ground the story in realism:
  - Gus’s "You peel that orange while I unroll the top of this sardine can" makes the scene feel intimate and immediate.
  - Gertie’s rambling, emotional speech mimics real frustration, making her relatable.
- Phrases like "this burg" (slang for "this town") and "the girls call a good cry" add authenticity to the working-class voices.
Symbolism
- The shirtwaists symbolize social status and feminine identity.
  - In Beloit, they were a source of pride; in Chicago, they’re a mark of inadequacy.
- Teddy, the landlady’s dog, is her only "friend"—highlighting her desperation for connection.
Humor as a Coping Mechanism
- Gertie’s exaggerated descriptions (e.g., the lingerie being so heavy it causes "stoop-shouldered" girls) use hyperbole for comic effect, but the humor is dark—it masks her pain.

Significance of the Passage

Critique of the American Dream
- Gertie’s story reflects the myth of upward mobility—she believed the city would offer freedom and success, but instead, it exploits and isolates her.
- Ferber critiques the false promises of urbanization, especially for women with limited resources.
Feminist Undertones
- Gertie’s struggle for recognition in a male-dominated, class-conscious city highlights the limitations placed on women.
- Her obsession with fashion isn’t frivolous—it’s a survival tactic in a world where appearance determines worth.
Realism & Social Commentary
- Ferber’s unflinching portrayal of working-class life was groundbreaking for its time, offering a voice to marginalized women.
- The excerpt humanizes economic struggle, showing how loneliness and competition shape urban experiences.
Characterization Through Dialogue
- Gertie is witty, self-aware, and tragic—her humor makes her sympathetic, while her vulnerability makes her real.
- Gus’s casual, supportive demeanor ("Take a bite of apple and then wade right in") suggests he’s a foil to the cold city, offering momentary warmth.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This passage encapsulates Ferber’s keen observation of human resilience and societal pressures. Gertie’s raw, unfiltered voice makes her more than a victim—she’s a sharp critic of the system that failed her. The contrast between rural warmth and urban alienation remains relevant today, as many still grapple with the promises and pitfalls of city life.

Ferber doesn’t just tell us Gertie is lonely—she shows us through vivid imagery, biting humor, and heartbreaking detail, making the reader feel the weight of her isolation. The excerpt is a microcosm of the collection’s themes: the buttered side of life is always down for those like Gertie, but their stories demand to be heard.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as Ferber’s feminist perspective or the historical context of early 20th-century urbanization?

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Gertie’s shirtwaists serves primarily as a vehicle for which of the following thematic concerns?

A. The superficiality of fashion as a distraction from deeper existential angst.
B. The economic exploitation of working-class women in urban retail environments.
C. The way material markers of status mediate social inclusion and exclusion.
D. The decline of artisanal craftsmanship in the face of industrial mass production.
E. The psychological toll of consumer culture on individual self-worth.

Question 2

Gus’s interruption of Gertie’s crying and his subsequent behavior can best be interpreted as fulfilling which narrative function?

A. Providing comic relief to offset the passage’s otherwise somber tone.
B. Introducing a transient but necessary human connection that contrasts with Gertie’s isolation.
C. Exposing the performative nature of grief in urban social interactions.
D. Highlighting the gendered expectations of emotional labor in early 20th-century America.
E. Foreshadowing a romantic subplot that will develop later in the story.

Question 3

The phrase "three-ply, double-barreled, extra heavy brand of lonesomeness" employs which of the following rhetorical strategies to most striking effect?

A. Accumulation of modifiers to convey the oppressive, layered quality of urban alienation.
B. Industrial metaphor to critique the mechanization of human relationships in cities.
C. Hyperbolic exaggeration to underscore Gertie’s melodramatic personality.
D. Alliteration to create a rhythmic cadence that mimics the monotony of city life.
E. Irony to juxtapose the expected vibrancy of urban living with its actual emptiness.

Question 4

Which of the following statements best captures the relationship between the passage’s tone and its thematic content?

A. The tone oscillates between wry humor and biting cynicism, mirroring the duality of urban life as both alluring and crushing.
B. The predominately melancholic tone underscores the inevitability of failure for rural migrants in industrialized societies.
C. The conversational tone masks a didactic intent, instructing readers on the moral dangers of vanity and materialism.
D. The shifting tone—from sarcastic to plaintive—reflects Gertie’s emotional instability rather than any broader social commentary.
E. The tone’s underlying optimism suggests that Gertie’s loneliness is a temporary phase en route to self-actualization.

Question 5

The "cannon cracker" metaphor in the opening sentence primarily serves to:

A. establish the passage’s historical setting by referencing a now-obsolete firework.
B. convey the psychological suspense of anticipating an unspecified but inevitable disruption.
C. foreshadow a literal explosive event that will occur later in the story.
D. critique the militaristic undertones of urban industrialization.
E. illustrate the auditory overload characteristic of city life.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The shirtwaists function as a symbolic barometer of social capital. In Beloit, Gertie’s handcrafted blouses grant her admiration and belonging; in Chicago, their inadequacy marks her as an outsider. The passage hinges on how material objects (clothing) dictate inclusion/exclusion, with Gertie’s sartorial inferiority reinforcing her alienation. This aligns with Ferber’s broader critique of urban hierarchies where appearance substitutes for intrinsic worth.