The Boss by Dan Jacobson - Short Story Analysis

1. Authors Biography Dan Jacobson was born on 7 March 1929 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was educated at Kimberley Boys' High School and the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. After the publication of his first two novels, The Trap (1955) and A Dance in the Sun (1956), he was awarded a one-year Creative Writing Fellowship at Stanford University (1956-7). From 1965-6 he was Visiting Professor at Syracuse University, New York, and he was Reader in English at University College London between 1979 and 1986, and Professor of English until 1994 (Professor Emeritus since 1994). A Long Way from London, a collection of short stories published in 1958, won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and his collection Time of Arrival and Other Essays (1963) won a Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Evidence of Love (1960), The Beginners (1966), The Rape of Tamar (1970), The Confessions of Joseph Baisz (1977), which won the Jewish Quarterly Literary Prize for Fiction, Hidden in the Heart (1991), and The God-Fearer (1992). His volume of autobiography, Time and Time Again: Autobiographies (1985), won the J. R. Ackerley Prize. His books, The Electronic Elephant: A Southern African Journey (1994) and Heshel's Kingdom (1998), are eclectic in form, combining public history, private memoir and accounts of journeys made in southern Africa and Lithuania respectively. Dan Jacobson lives in London. His most recent book is All for Love (2005).

Critical Perspective Author Dan Jacobson used his experiences as a child growing up in South Africa to mold his writings about human nature. Even when Jacobson has spent most of his adult life in the UK, he grew up in South Africa, where his parents families had come to avoid the persecution of Jews in their European homelands. His father, Hymann Michael Jacobson, was born in Latvia, in 1885. His mother, Liebe (Melamed) Jacobson, was born in Lithuania, in 1896. Jacobson had two older brothers, Israel Joshua and Hirsch Jacob, and a young sister, Aviva. His mothers family immigrated to South Africa in 1919, after the death of his grandfather. His grandfather, Heshel Melamed, was a rabbi, and refused to leave Lithuania after travelling to the United States and finding that many Jews were not following their religion. Jacobson later wrote about his travels back to Lithuania to find out more information about his grandfather.

Bibliography

2005All for Love, Hamish Hamilton

2000Mouthful of Glass by Henk Van Woerden, translator, Granta

1998Heshel's Kingdon, Hamish Hamilton

1994The Electronic Elephant: A Southern African Journey, Hamish Hamilton

1992The God-Fearer, Bloomsbury

1991Hidden in the Heart, Bloomsbury

1988Adult Pleasures: Essays on Writers and Readers, Andr Deutsch

1987Her Story, Andr Deutsch

1985Time and Time Again: Autobiographies, Andr Deutsch

1982The Story of Stories: The Chosen People and Its God, Secker & Warburg

1977The Confessions of Josef Baisz, Secker & Warburg

1973The Wonder-Worker, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1973Inklings: Selected Stories, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1970The Rape of Tamar, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1970Penguin Modern Stories 6, contributor, Penguin

1966The Beginners, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1964Beggar My Neighbour: Short Stories, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1963Time of Arrival and Other Essays, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1960The Evidence of Love, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1959The Zulu and the Zeide, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1959No Further West: California Visited, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1958The Price of Diamonds, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1958A Long Way from London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson1956A Dance in the Sun, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1955The Trap, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Awards1986Society of Authors Fellowship1986Mary Elinore Smith Poetry Prize1986J. R. Ackerley Prize, Time and Time Again: Autobiographies1977Jewish Quarterly Literary Prize for Fiction, The Confessions of Josef Baisz1964Somerset Maugham Award, Time of Arrival and Other Essays1959Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, A Long Way from London

2. Importance and relevance of the title The Boss is the perfect title for this story. It summarizes the content of the narration, and describes with a metaphor the different points of views which the different generations have: it shows what they think it means being the boss. 3. Synopsis of the story (Plot) The story starts off with a conversation between Mr Kramer and Miss Posen, a lady who has worked in his factory for 15 years. Mr Kramer is intending to hand his Butter factory over to his own son Lionel, as he is retiring. Even when Miss Posen knows Lionel well enough -because he almost grew up in the factory-, she insists of not facing that it will be the new boss in the office. On the other hand, instead of being nervous because of his new responsibilities, Lionel is overwhelmed by his confidence in controlling the factory. He determinedly wants to prove that he will be as prolific as his father, who has risen to the position of a boss entirely through his own hard work. In the firm, everybody used to call Lionel by his name; but now that he has a position of authority, they call him Mr Lionel, except for Miss Posen who continues calling him by his name. Lionel is very frustrated by her attitude and complains again and again to his father. However, all his complaints are in vain: Mr Kramer always leaves the decision to Lionel himself. Mr Kramer aspires for his son to become a capable leader who can cope with any situation, but he cannot see his son is still so young for this and depends on his father to solve the problem for him. And each time Lionel warns her, Miss Posen just ignores his requests and continues to provoke him. Lionel feels that his position is threatened and he is afraid that he would not get the respect he should get. He cannot tolerate any kind of disrespect against him. So, one day, Lionel can no longer control the anger within him and starts to spy Miss Posen. He ransacks Miss Posens bag when she is not around, taking notes of what is inside the bag: different elements that she has taken from the stationery-cabinet. Then, he promises himself she will be punished for being a thief and she will learn who is the real boss in the firm. The situation reaches his climax when Lionel says Miss Posen what he has found out. Then, he tells this to his father. Mr Kramer has to choose between Miss Posen and his son. And he does. With pain in his heart, he asks Miss Posen to leave the factory, and promises her that he will find another position in some other firm for her. Finally, Mr Kramer tells Lionel what he feels: things are done the way Lionel wanted, but Miss Posen, that poor girl, will remember these things all her life. These words make Lionel feels guilty for using such underhand methods. And he is able to see the fallacies in his rashness and learn that his own solution to the problem may be morally erroneous.4. The subject matter Difficulties of a young man in being the next boss of his fathers factory, caused for an old employees resistance.

5. The theme The story is about the generational conflict between the old and young people in a factory. Miss Posen and Mr Kramer represent the old generation, and Lionel is the young one in the firm. While Mr Kramer has accepted the fact that he is going to retire and leave Lionel in his position, Miss Posen freely disapproves this decision. She has worked for Mr Kramer for many years so she cannot adapt to a new boss, especially one who is younger than her. And this situation leads to a conflict between Lionel and Miss Posen. On the other hand, Mr Kramer is able to understand that Miss Posen is reasonably upset by having a younger boss; and being both of the older generation in the workplace, there is a bond between them that is not possible with the younger workers. And, obviously, everyone acts according their own experience in life.

******** Mr Kramer: We are all different, arent we, Lily, now that the younger generation has come to take our place? Lionel: Shes old and finished and shes got it against me because Im young and on top of her. Lily: Youre a dirty little boy! You should be ashamed of yourself.

6. Structure of the story Exposition. The characters are introduced during a conversation among Mr Kramer (the owner of a factory), Miss Posen (the secretary) and Lionel (Mr Kramers son), while he is telling her his son will be the next boss in the firm. Rising action. Miss Posen does not easily accept the new situation, so she disrespects Lionel, daring his position; even when he asks her not doing that repeatedly. Tired of Miss Posens bad behaviour, Lionel decides to find evidence that can oust her from the company. So, he ransacks her bag and finds that she has been stealing some things from the stationery-cabinet. Climax. One day, Lionel says Miss Posen what he has found out and makes terrible accusations against her. Falling action. Lionel tells his father what has happened and that Miss Posen has to go. Mr Kramer asks Miss Posen to leave the factory and promise her a new position in another firm. Resolution. Mr Kramer talks to his son and shows him that he has acted in a wrong way with Miss Posen (Didnt I throw that poor girl out after fifteen years, push her out like she was nothing to me, because you told me to?). Finally, Lionel realizes that he has probably made a mistake by acting that way.

7. The setting (Place and time) Place. The story takes place in South Africa, in a butter factory, especially in the secretarys office and in the boss office. Time. The story occurs, probably, in summer, during the school holidays. Lionel has already finished the secondary school and, while his friends will go to university, he wants to work at the factory.

8. Sketch of the main characters Mr Kramer. It is the owner of a butter factory. He has come to South Africa as an immigrant boy and becomes entirely through his own efforts the manager of the factory. He is old and a real hard-working man. Now, he is retiring from this position and preparing his son to take his place. Miss Lily Posen. She is Jewish and over forty years old. She is plain, dull, heavily built and bespectacled. She wears glasses and, usually, blue dresses and blue jumpers. She is not married. She has worked at Mr Kramers butter factory for fifteen years; so, she can do any work she is asked to do: typing, sending out accounts and farmers cheques, supervising the work of the other girls, a certain amount of bookkeeping. And she presumes on the fact she is the oldest employee in the firm. Miss Posen is loyal to Mr Kramer, thus she does not accept Lionels coming, resulting in the tension with the boy. Lionel Kramer. He is Mr Kramers son. He is tall, tanned, with a lean face and large brown eyes. He seems to be self-confident, but when he cannot solve a problem, he asks his father for help. He is eighteen and does not want to go to the university; instead, he has decided to work in the factory. Others characters: Betty, the girl who brings the tea to Mr Kramer and his son; the white employees (in contrast with Miss Posen who is Jewish).

9. Point of view The point of view is omniscient (all-knowing). The story is told in the third person and the narrator knows everything, including what goes on in the minds of the characters.

10. Atmosphere and tone The atmosphere is predominantly tense, because of the tension between Lionel and Miss Posen; even though, at the final part, it becomes nostalgic and sentimental, with Mr Kramers reflexions. The tone is simple, direct, matter of fact.

Wasnt I right? Lionel demanded. Didnt I find out about her? By your lights, perhaps, you were right. Said Mr Kramer. Your lights seem to be different from mine, thats all.