导读：
20世纪30年代的激进主义集中在失业问题上，而且在20世纪30年代后期，集中在法西斯主义的威胁上，实际上排除了所有其他问题。战后的1946—1960年是美国经济扩张和主导世界的时期，也是麦卡锡主义的猎巫运动所担保的冷战和超级爱国主义的时期。所有激进的和自由的团体都受到压制；而可能的妇女解放事业……与其他事业一起被扼杀。（Deckard: [1979] 1983: 316）。
这个时代的女性主义者写的小说、短篇小说和诗歌也捕捉到了女性劳动的存在论层面。蒂莉·奥尔森（Tillie Olsen）在她的短篇小说中对工人阶级妇女的生活和劳动的描写在第二次浪潮的女性主义者中最受欢迎。作为康米党员，奥尔森曾因组织劳工活动而多次被捕。选文51 《我想让你们北方的女人知道》（[1934]1990），说明她的作品不仅探讨了 “蓝领生活的破裂缝隙”，而且还探讨了边缘群体的沉默。事实上，奥尔森在强调多音性政治方面发挥了重要作用（霍利，2007）。
我想让你们北方的女人知道
我想让你们北方的女人知道
你们在梅西百货、沃纳梅克、金贝尔斯、马歇尔·菲尔德买来的精致童装
是如何用血染成、用消瘦的身躯织成的
就在圣安东尼奥，“暖阳过冬的地方”
我想让你们北方的女人看着
那些谄媚的笑、女售货员们欣喜的叫卖声
“多精致的手艺，夫人，多精致的裙褶”
如何消失在一张臃肿的脸上——接更多的衣服订单
到手的工钱却被克扣得微薄
如何化作玛丽亚、安布罗萨、卡塔琳娜这些可怜人
她们从早到晚缝制着这些衣服
用血染成、用消瘦的身躯织成
卡塔琳娜·罗德里格斯，24岁
身体却萎缩得仿佛12岁孩童
卡塔琳娜·罗德里格斯，已是肺结核晚期
为了三美元从清晨工作到午夜
痛苦笼罩着她的头颅，灼热的温度
烧遍她全身
鲜红的血液绣满她房间的地板
白色的雨缝合了黑夜，资产阶级诗人
会这样描写
白色海鸥般的双手，飞舞着，旋转着
白色的闪电，在云层中穿行
这是她的双手在布料上跳起的精致舞蹈
还有她的咳嗽声，欢快、急促、断断续续
如同骷髅的骨头咔咔作响
正好给那优美的十指舞蹈做伴奏
伴随着颤音，那双手痛苦地颤抖时发出的颤音
每周赚得三美元
赚得两块五毛五
赚得七十美分
难怪两千八百名欢场女子
在太阳下山之后 和他共度冬天
——只为了五分钱（谁说这里是富人的世界？）
你想要的爱通通可以到手
“毕竟花柳和梅毒也没比酸痛的手指
失明的双眼和肺结核糟到哪儿去”
玛丽亚·巴斯克斯，纺织娘（老处女）
以每打十五美分的价格
为孩子们缝制衣服
而自己从未生养过
卡塔琳娜·托雷斯，四个孩子的母亲
为了让饥肠辘辘的身体继续挨饿，她绣花
从白天
到黑夜
四个孩子的母亲，她在想些什么？
当被针刺破的手指拂过丝绸时——
想到自己孩子身上紧绷着的粗布破衫？
嶙峋的脊骨勾勒出饥饿的形状
想到那小巧圆润、绵延如草原般的身体微微移动
身上穿的
正是自己亲手织就的丝绸？
（不要羡慕！卡塔琳娜·托雷斯，看呐！
就在你自己孩子的衣服上面，那刺绣
复杂到一千只手都绣不出
就在那衣服散线，或被缝补好的地方
精巧设计、款式多样、重工手作
全部出自贫穷之手）
安布罗萨·埃斯皮诺萨信仰上帝
“Todos es de dios，万物都源于主”
在渐短的黑夜和渐长的白日里
她靠这信仰
支撑下来——
但是让上帝道成肉身的几厘钱
来自安布罗萨
让牧师纵酒享乐的几厘钱
来自安布罗萨
安布罗萨为上帝和牧师穿上亲手缝制的
孩童的衣服
她的哥哥躺在一张铁床上，整天躺着看着
就在一张破床垫上
他为铁路工作了二十五年
然后他们解雇了他
（痛苦不堪的日子，找工作、被拒绝
警察投来的怀疑目光
再见了安布罗萨，兴许我在达拉斯能找份工做
拼了命地跃向那辆货运火车
张皇的手，抓了个空，火车车轮
碾过了一条腿
铁轨切断了它，就像它切断了他
二十五年的生命）
她说他祈祷和梦想着另一个世界
仿佛他就躺在那个世界，一个天堂
（他不知道的是，就在1917年的露西亚
这个世界由他这样的工人带到了人间）
北方的女人们，我希望你们知道
当你们用手拨弄着那些精工缝制的衣服
这意味着，这从黎明到午夜的劳作
双脚多么难受，而炽热的黎明偏偏要来到
玛丽亚、卡塔琳娜、安布罗萨身边
那些恶毒的手指怎样指着苍白的脸
催她们去工作
日光和热浪随着白昼的到来更加灼热
漫长单调的工时，眼睛如火炭般燃烧
热浪将飞快的手指熔得如同果冻
直到夜幕降临，漆黑如失明
那长长的时日更多是在昏暗灯光的注视下度过
酸痛不堪的后背
疲劳像蠕虫一样钻进肌肉里
巨大得仿佛冬日的大地里才会有
对卡塔利娜·罗德里格斯来说，这一夜是汗水和鲜血
绣成的黑暗
对卡塔利娜·托雷斯来说，是四个抱团取暖的孩子
凹陷的脸庞
孩子们骨瘦如柴的四具裸体
吟唱出饥肠辘辘的众赞歌
对于两千八百名欢场女子来说，
那荒唐的行径终于
完事了——眨眨眼睛——一脸怪相——
“喜欢这样吗宝贝？”
对于玛丽亚·巴斯克斯，这位纺织娘来说，空虚，空虚
同孩子们的衣服一起灼烧，那些她永不能爱抚的孩子们
对于安布罗萨·埃斯皮诺萨来说——她的兄弟
像具骷髅一样躺在破布床垫上
在黑暗中用窟窿般的双眼死盯着
基督的画像，回想着那条腿，还有
被铁路截断的二十五年的生命
北方的女人们，我想让你们知道
我告诉你们，这一切不可能永远持续下去。
我发誓它不会。
（1934年）。
写作背景材料
Where the Sun Spends the Winter
San Antonio, Texas
Dear Editor:
I want the women of New York, Chicago and Boston who buy at Macy’s, Wannamaker’s, Gimbel’s and Marshall Field to know that when they buy embroidered children’s dresses labeled “hand made” they are getting dresses made in San Antonio, Texas, by women and girls with trembling fingers and broken backs.
These are bloody facts and I know, because I’ve spoken to the women who make them. Catalina Rodriguez is a 24-year-old Mexican girl but she looks like 12. She’s in the last stages of consumption and works from six in the morning till midnight. She says she never makes more than three dollars a week. I don’t wonder any more why in our city with a population of 250,000 the Board of Health has registered 8000 professional “daughters of joy” and in addition, about 2,000 Mujeres Alegres (happy women), who are not registered and sell themselves for as little as five cents.
Catalina Torres has four children and her husband cracks pecans at thirty cents a hundred pounds. He makes about two dollars a week. She says that they pay her thirty cents a dozen for the embroidery and she can only make three dozen a week because of the children.
Maria Vasquez, a spinster, sews the children’s dresses at home for fifteen cents a dozen. If she works from dawn to midnight she can make three dozen a day. For each new dress style you have to go to the office first and make a sample. I asked her if she passed the test every time. She ran inside and came out with an envelope in her hand. Read my diploma she says, and you won’t ask any more foolish questions.
The “diploma” is a circular letter printed by the thousands on the company letterheads and is addressed to no one in particular. It says her work has been satisfactory and that they are proud of her, and any time she wants work they will be glad to give it to her. The company is the Juvenile Mfg. Corp. Their New York office is E. Edar, 1350 Broadway.
Several years ago our Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign in competition with Florida and California inviting tourists to come to San Antonio, “Where Sunshine Spends the Winter.” I don’t know whether the tourists came but Eastern manufacturers and Capital came and let out the children’s dresses for home work. There are thousands of American-born Mexican girls and women and they work at any price.
Ambrosa Espinoza is thirty and she has worked the last seven years on these “hand made” dresses. I am enclosing her pay envelopes. One week three dollars, the next, two fifty-five and the third only seventy cents. With this she has to pay rent for her shack, pay insurance, support the Catholic Church and feed herself. When I try to talk to her she says: Todos es de Dios, todos es de Dios—everything is from God, everything is from God. She embroiders four dozen dresses a week at seventy-cents a dozen and works from morning till late at night. At night she uses a kerosene lamp. She says that times are getting harder and even American women will take the work. The boss knows this so he reduces the prices every week, and if you don’t like it you can leave it. She also works for the Juvenile Mfg. Corp.
She tells me about her brother and how he lost his leg. For twenty-five years he worked for Southern Pacific Railway, and three years ago they laid him off. He looked high and low for work. Then he decided to look in North Texas and he tried to hop a freight. But he lost his balance and the train cut his leg the way the railroad cut the twenty-five years from his life.
As I got out of the shack I can’t forget this brother who lies on his iron cot like a skeleton. He uses rags for mattress, and lies motionless, gazing on the Virgin of Guadalupe and the image of the young Jew of Galilee. He prays to them, dreaming of another world.
I want you women up North to know. I tell you this can’t last forever. I swear it won’t.
Felipe Ibarro