Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce shows readers Los Angeles during the 1930s, the heart of the Great Depression. The Depression was a worldwide economic crisis that began with the stock market crash of September 1929, and took years to recover from; some historians argue that only the spending ramp up that accompanied WWII fully pulled the US out of this period of stagnation. In the novel, the effects of the Depression are multifold. Bert’s real estate business sinks as housing prices dramatically fall. Forced to mortgage his house to have liquid assets, Bert leaves Mildred with an upside-down loan—meaning, she owes more on the house than it would be worth if she sold it. The 1930s housing market collapse will be familiar to modern readers from the 2008 financial crisis, in which many people ended up in a similar upside-down mortgage situation. However, in the novel, there is also an upside to this Depression real estate problem: Bert’s company actually financially benefits from donating a house to Mildred—a tax loophole she uses to start a restaurant.

Another key historical event that is important to the novel is the end of Prohibition. The 18th Amendment, banning the sale of alcoholic beverages, went into effect in 1920. From the beginning, the ban was enforced selectively, with alcohol available to the rich and the connected with little fear of prosecution. Prohibition created the demand for illegally obtaining alcohol, fostering powerful criminal networks of bootleggers, liquor runners, and associates. In the novel, Lucy’s husband Ike has a trucking business that illegally transports alcohol. Once Prohibition ends in 1933, Lucy uses Ike’s connections to supply Mildred’s restaurants with newly legal liquor, while also transforming Ike’s company into an above-board concern.

Cain heightens the novel’s realism through thorough description of many aspects of life. One such is architecture and home design. For instance, Cain contrasts Monty’s opulent mansion in Pasadena and what goes into its restoration with Mildred’s typical middle-class Glendale house. Another aspect of the 1930s is medical care. Obviously, when Ray falls ill, she doesn’t have access to the medical advances of the 21st century. More interesting is the absence of health insurance, which would not become a widespread perk of employment until the 1940s. Mildred must cobble together money to pay for Ray’s transfusion, which comes from a professional blood donor who expects to be compensated for his troubles. Also interesting is the novel’s geographic verisimilitude, especially as it relates to transportation. Los Angeles is a city of cars, and pedestrians like Mildred have limited ability to get around. When Mildred takes back the car from Bert, she uses Colorado Avenue to drive into Los Angeles depicts a time period before the completion of Highway 134 in 1971.