The woman in the story was my grandmother. From her I learned about the work women did in the Newfoundland fishery. This little story is about many things. It is about work, and what people may get for it. It is also about dreams and hopes. It is about the fish trade and world fish markets. It is about merchants and prices. It is about women's roles in one time and place.

This story has led me to much reading. And there are ways to find out more. The time and place are in the story. But it could have happened any year when there was lots of fish, but the price was low.

Sometimes, we think of the past as a far away place. We think we cannot get to it. This is only half true. Stories can lead us to other sources. And sources can help us build larger stories. In a way, stories help us travel through time.

Topics for Discussion

  1. The value of stories as ways to learn more about the past.

  2. How to use a story to build a picture of a person, place or time.

  3. Research methods used to follow up on stories.

Questions for Discussion

Counting the Berries

  1. What was the dole?

  2. What were dole inspectors? Why was the woman in the story hiding food from them?

Hard Boots and a Hoe

  1. What was "making fish?" Why was it "back-breaking work?"

  2. How did the woman in this story get paid for her work? Why didn't she know how much she would get until the end of the summer?