Job History
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| "Job History" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Annie Proulx | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English and spanish and others |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication | |
| Publisher | 1140 d.c |
"Job History" is part of a short story series, Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx. It takes place in the writer's hometown of Cora, Wyoming. The story follows the life of the main character, Leeland Lee, and his unsuccessful attempts to find employment. Radio news reports throughout the story relate to Leeland's struggles and disappointment. His lack of education and the unavailability of jobs in his hometown cause him to move often. His determination is commendable, but in the end his efforts are futile and he lives his life in discontent.
Leeland Lee is an awkward-looking young boy, raised in a small town along with his five siblings. He quits high school at seventeen and marries his school mate Lori, whom he got pregnant. He gets a job at the local gas station, Egge's Service Station, pumping gas. The business, however, goes bankrupt and Leeland decides to join the army. He is stationed in Germany for six years where he is then discharged, and, once again, discontented and jobless. He returns to his hometown in Wyoming, where he gets a seasonal job as a worker for a fencing crew; this doesn't last long as he decides to move his family to Casper. He finds another job as a truck driver; meanwhile his new home is in a cramped trailer park. Lori gets pregnant again and Leeland quits his job and returns to Unique where his parents are. He decides to open a new business with his savings but fails miserably and the business goes into bankruptcy after a couple months. He finds another job as a construction worker but quits shortly afterward due to disagreements with his employer; meanwhile, more tragedies are heard on the news.
Leeland decides to try something different and takes a job at a meat processing factory, working for Old Man Brose. It turns out that he loves working with meat and has a talent for cutting precise pieces. Lori and Leeland end up signing a ten-year lease on the company while Mr. Brose takes a vacation. Things seem to be looking up as his eldest son graduated and signs up for the army; there's also good news on the radio. Their success, however, is very short lived as the economy goes into a recession and the company is sold. This does not bode well with Mr. Brose on his return from his trip.
Jobless and disappointed once again, Leeland and family move again where he does a series of odd jobs which included raising hogs with his father, truck driving and being a stay-at-home dad. None are successful but he continues to try to make things work. His son returns home, after being discharged, and proposes a plan for them to start a company raising hogs. Leeland is extremely excited but his son changes his mind and moves to Phoenix. Bad luck continues to follow Leeland as his mother dies and his wife is diagnosed with cancer and also pregnant again; shortly after, Lori dies and the family blames him. His youngest son is taken away and goes to live with Leeland's eldest sister. In the end, he finds a job working as a cook which surprisingly he is very good at. His son returns from Phoenix and decides they should open up a motorcycle repair shop.