Journal #1: The Mouse Trap

Collaboration is very evident throughout this short story. The most obvious example is the collaboration by the employers to strike against their boss Peter Bender. Mildred Curtis seems to be the leader of this collaboration as they are choosing this moment to rally because of Mr. Bender’s choice to let Gracie, another employee, go. The group is striking for better wages as they feel that they are not making enough to survive. The audience is clued in that the time period is a few year post Great Depression that insinuates that finding and maintaining employment isn’t easy. But Mr. Bender isn’t willing to let them strike. He uses exploitation as well as manipulative behaviors to coerce them out of this plan to strike. His manipulative behavior is evident in his relationship with Betsy Carlisle, the office secretary. It is clear he is aware of the ever-growing crush Betsy has on him and he does his best to exploit it and use it to his advantage. His use of pet names such as “baby” or is outward flirting with lines such as “how about a little kiss for luck?” allows him to control her. She is so blindly loyal to him because of this crush that she completely turns away from the actions of her fellow employers. Betsy isn’t the only person that Mr. Bender exploits. He is keen to use familial situations to convince potential strikers to stay loyal to his company. He is quick to bring up that Gracie has to take care of her two sisters and without a job she cannot do that. By exploiting her weakness Mr. Bender pulls the rug out from under this strike. While I have never seen Mad Men consistently enough to pull back pieces of the storyline, specific power relationships, such as boss and secretary, are mimicked similarly. It’s extremely interesting to explore those power dynamics especially because I am interested into how gender roles play into those dynamics.