Since You Went Away

Since You Went Away is a book that shows us the view of American women and how they had to coupe with not having their husbands, sons, or brothers. The men may have had rough times fighting in the war but the women also had to alter their life styles. The idea behind the book is to illuminate how the women had to endure hardships in order to survive. Some women worked more than two jobs in order to support their children and their letters describe the obstacles they had to face. To make ends meet, others left their homes and moved in with friends or family members. In Don't You Know There's a War On?, the letters from the women often discuss how they are trying their hardest to scrape by with all the expenses. Most women were oblivious to the fact that war had broken out until their loved ones departed for military service.
In the chapter titled Courtship by Mail there is a series of fascinating letters written by Anne Gudis to Samuel Kramer. These letters demonstrate how long distance romance was a rather difficult task. They were belligerent and argumentative; however, in the end it let to marriage. The courtship of these two was rather mischievous and caused Anne to writing a simple letter that led to “unsolicited attention”. The words “Go To Hell” where published in Yank which was a weekly magazine for enlisted men and caused a great scandal for Anne. Not only was she scolded for bringing down a man's confidence, but also for not living up to the “unwritten law” of how women should behave during war time. Her letter caused a great uproar in the state of New Jersey and great dismay in the military. After the incident Samuel's commanding officer wrote to Anne and was responded by a close friend. The correspondence between the two continued and is living proof that relationships aren't lost if the couple is separated; but, that the love continues to grow.
Litoff and Smith utilize a pictorial essay to illustrate the significance of writing a letter to the... [continues]

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