Although the Lowell Offering was one of the first texts we analyzed this semester, it has continued to stick out when I think of Representing Adolescence. This is due to the surprising content of the text that is frankly quite jarring. It’s uncomfortable to read about these working experiences which did make me slightly hesitant to write about the Lowell Offering. It’s easy to feel a sense of security that our country currently has child labor laws and a rising minimum wage. Despite these positive changes, it is important to not forget the atrocities that those before us faced. This is incredibly important for a few reasons. First, this puts things in perspective and allows us to have a greater understanding of how good we have things today. It’s easy to complain and bicker about a hard week at the office, but reading the stories of these girls really allows for some much-needed perspective. Second, it’s important to study these stories so that history doesn’t repeat itself again. It’s vital that we see how these working conditions deteriorated the quality of life for these girls and the lasting impact it had on them.
One of the most surprising and jarring sections of the Lowell offerings is Home. This section is so jarring because of the diction and extremely pessimistic attitude of the speaker. For instance, the speaker says “what a strange and indescribable feeling comes over me at the mention of that word- a sickening sensation which is almost suffocating. You would not wonder if you knew all the associations connected with it the days of my childhood those happy innocent days are before me” (Spaulding 134). Spauling sounds completely defeated in this claiming, that her best days and days of happiness are behind her. Her tone is very depressed, and it is hard to read. This is very surprising, because you don’t typically think of someone’s work life taking over their entire attitude towards life. This may be explained by the lifestyle outlined in the section A Week in the Mill. As the section says, “thus the day passes on in the evening comes the time which she feels to be exclusively her own. How much is done in the three short hours from 7:00 to 10:00 o’clock?” (Lowell Offering 74). This lifestyle of only having 3 hours to yourself is not sustainable for typical people. At this point, it’s almost as if you’re a robot who works non-stop first and a human second. Many claim the 40-hour work week is too much, but this schedule blows that out of the water. Not only is this unhealthy, but it’s also very controlling. The girls don’t even have the option to stay up later or go to bed earlier as the rule states lights out at 10.
As a finance major and someone who keeps up with current events in the business world, this reminded me of an event that happened this past week. Recently, an internal presentation by Goldman Sachs titled “Working Conditions Survey” was leaked to the public. Goldman Sachs is the most prestigious investment bank in the world, and this survey was given to their analysts (entry level position fresh out of college) to assess their work life balance. Some highlights from the leaked survey are analysts working an average of 96 hours per week with some weeks up to 105 hours and sleeping an average of 4-5 hours per night. Additionally, the survey included a section for feedback where one analyst says, “I’ve been through foster care, and this is arguably worse”. Clearly, these large wall street banks are exploiting young talent because of their level of power and prestige. However, the one large difference between the Lowell girls and wall street banks is that the banks are compensating these workers extremely well. Although they work ridiculous hours, they graduate college making upwards of $150,000 a year. However, the question remains: Does the pay justify the abuse these banks are causing for these junior level employees? Or, do you see this as a similar situation to the Lowell girls where they are being taken advantage of and this is not justified?
Representing Adolescence @ Pitt 