Mildred Pierce by James Cain
James Cain’s Mildred Pierce focuses on a down-on-her luck mother named Mildred Pierce (big surprise there). The book is set in sunny California in the Depression era, and Mildred is in a pickle. Her husband has just left her, and she has two young children to support. With no work experience, how will she survive?
The first half of Mildred Pierce is fairly entertaining. However, the pacing overall is a little slow. This book hit the shelves in 1941 so this is before the internet, YouTube, and 5-second attention spans. Yet, I could not help but think that Mildred Pierce would be better off as a play or movie. And I was right. There is apparently at least one HBO miniseries and a movie based on this book.
When I was at my first full-time job, there was a new employee who went around collecting the garbage. At every desk, he stopped and said, “I’m only doing this for two months until I can retire.” My first job was as a cashier at Sears, and during my college years, I worked as a substitute teacher, scooped ice cream at Quality Dairy, and worked third shift as a temporary worker in factories. At a young age, my father taught me, “There is no shame in honest work.” Mildred Pierce is still learning this lesson.
On the one hand, parts of this books are very relatable. Mildred is determined to find work to support herself and her children, but she discovers that employers don’t want to hire women. Even in the 21st century, employers told me that I didn’t need a job because my “father would take care of me.” Mildred is not qualified for jobs because she doesn’t have any experience. It is the age-old question, “If all jobs require experience, how can I get a job without experience in the first place?”, a chicken and egg dilemma.
Yet, on the other hand, Mildred Pierce did not feel real. All of her exes just agree to everything. Do you want a house? A loan? A car? They always seem to say yes, no matter the request. Where are all of these people in my life? Because most people tell me no. And these exes are always so happy with Mildred, drama free. Yeah right…..
When applying for jobs, at least two people tell Mildred straight away that she has no hope. In this internet age, companies don’t tell applicants anything for fear of lawsuits, only sending a generic rejection email months after initially applying.
A bit farther in the book, Mildred begins to associate with other people (trying to be a bit vague here to avoid serious spoilers). None of these people ever quit or move away, they never call in sick.
There are a couple of twists at the end that I didn’t see coming, and I also enjoyed Mildred’s internal battle with herself. She is insecure, and she questions if others are judging her. Is Mildred just projecting her own insecurities or are other people judging her? Guess you will have to read this book to find out!
Overall, Mildred Pierce is a very solid novel, particularly for a book published in 1941.
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