II. To check your answers read the analysis of the text given below.
The story I’m going to interpret is entitled “Hunting for a Job”. It is written by S.S. McClure, an American short-story writer.
It is a first-person narration. The events are presented through the perception of the main character – a young man who has just left college and is looking for a job. So, the title reflects the theme of the story.
The setting is quite clear. The narrator mentions such proper names as Boston, Columbia, Washington Street. That means, no doubt, that the events are set in the U.S.A. As for the time of the action, the author does not speak about it directly, but there are some indications to the time period in the text. For example, one of the minor characters took part in the Civil war and he is 39 at the moment of the narration. Besides, bicycle is mentioned as the most popular means of transport, and there was just one kind in general use So, one can’t but see that the action takes place at the very end of the 19-th century.
I’d like to render the plot of the story. By the way, it is rather simple; the events are presented in the chronological order.
One day the main character (his name is not mentioned) arrived in Boston. He stayed at some acquaintances of his where he was made welcome and comfortable for the whole weekend. As the narrator stresses, he needed that hospitality badly as he had only six dollars. Here the exposition ends and the complications start.
It turns out that the young man came to Boston to find a job after college. His only idea of how to manage it was to apply for a job at the Pope Manufacturing Company producing bicycles. The young man had a sort of connection with them – while at college he had published a book and the Company had advertised it. The main character walked into the general office and got acquainted with the President of the company, Colonel Pope. However, the Colonel refused to give the boy any job. The young man insisted saying that any work would do. In the long run, the president agreed and sent the boy to a rink where an extra man was needed to teach the beginners how to ride a bicycle. The boy had never been on a bicycle in his life. Still, in a couple of hours he was successfully teaching others. No one asked him to go on with his job but he kept on coming to the rink every day. Some time later Colonel Pope placed him in charge of an uptown rink. It so happened that the president was in the habit of watching his workmen and one day the young boy’s diligence was rewarded – he got the position of an editor from his boss. So, that is how the narrator got his first job.
As it is a first-person narration we can judge the main character only by his actions and speech. I believe, this man is rather inventive, confident, daring and persistent, and hard-working – he was not afraid of doing a job perfectly unfamiliar to him.
There is a minor character but still a rather important one – Colonel Pope. The author portrays him as an “alert, energetic man of about 39”, a successful businessman with a considerable fortune, and a participant of the Civil war. As for his spiritual and mental characteristics, they are given through actions and decisions. When he asks the main character if he is willing to scrub floors he looks quite a severe man. However he gives a chance to the young, his favourite proverb runs “water would find its level”. That means he was strict, but helpful, just, and businesslike.
The language of the story is simple and precise. Most part of the story is a narration. There are not any flashbacks or large descriptions. The narrator’s tone is cheerful and conversational. Sometimes it is humorous. To create this effect the author uses unexpected comparisons (“in the predicament of a dog that had to climb a tree”), some irony (“Wilmot didn’t exactly engage me, but he forgot to discharge me”), colloquial phrases (“if I had my wits about me”). In general, there are not many stylistic devices in the text. However the language is agreeable and easy to read.
In my opinion, the main problem raised in the story is the one of diligence and patience. The narrator points this out clearly at the end of the story saying that he got his job because he was ready to do anything. And the message is the following: if you want to be a success don’t be afraid of hard work and be patient. I guess, it’s a true-to-life story, at least it reveals the American reality of that period.
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