Vivie Warren:
I came upon an advertisement for a typewriter today, and decided that it would be a nice addition to my scrapbook. My work as a lawyer's clerk requires a lot of documentation, and unfortunately, writing by hand is neither pretty nor time-efficient. Having this machine would make it significantly easier to compose these documents, and it would allow me to save hours of my day that are spent writing pages by hand. This would allow me to finish my work as quickly as, if not faster than, my male coworkers. Hopefully, that efficiency will make me visible to my superiors, and I will be able to see progression in my career despite my gender. Purchasing this would also show my mother that I do not need her money, and can live independently with a job of my own. She seems to have this deluded vision that I will fail at my job, and I will come back to her begging for her help. In her eyes, this is simply a phase of my life, a cry for help from a misguided young girl. She does not understand that I would never accept her help, let alone her money, now that I know what she does to earn a living. I will stick to my own path, regardless of what others think of me. Although this machine is quite expensive, I believe it would be a worthwhile investment as it will allow me to make great strides in my career. For now, I will look into other typewriter and models to see if I can find one suited to my needs and budget.
Researcher:
The scrapbook that was discovered has an intriguing typewriter advertisement in it. After analysis of the advertisement and Vivie's explanation, it is clear that her relationship with her mother is strained, and she does not obey her mother's wishes. This is shown by her explanation of the effect that purchasing the typewriter will have on her mother's view of her; it shows that she is determined to prove her mother wrong. While she seems to complain excessively about her mother's parenting, she does not mention her father at all. It seems as though he may have either passed away, or is not in her life, but she has not provided enough details about her family life to be sure. Vivie also mentions her colleagues at work, and asserts that having a typewriter would allow her to complete her work more efficiently than her male counterparts. This shows her determination to prove that she is as proficient as her coworkers and that she can succeed in a male-dominated line of work. The legal field in this time period, the late 19th century, was made up largely of men, and very little women were able to obtain jobs related to this field. In fact, "There were just five women lawyers in 1870 and seventy-five in 1880, in sharp contrast to the sixty-four thousand male lawyers" (Latourette 863). This statistic illustrates the challenges women faced in establishing a presence in a legal profession. Finally, Vivie's mention of financial constraints and budget while discussing the purchase of the typewriter shows the significance of this investment for her. She is clearly not relying on her mother for money, and due to the significant gender pay gap at the time, it is safe to assume that a typewriter would put a large dent in her budget.
Works Cited:
Audrey Wolfson Latourette, Sex Discrimination in the Legal Profession: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, 39 Val. U. L. Rev. 859 (2005).
Limited, A. (n.d.). Victorian typewriter advert hi-res stock photography and images. Alamy. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/victorian-typewriter-advert.html?sort…