The story of “Theft” written by Katherine Anne Porter takes place in New York in the 1920s. This anonymous protagonist discovers that her handbag, made of gold fabric , disappeared. As the twenty-something woman thinks, she realizes that she had her purse when she returned from a party the night before. As she recalls her thoughts, a glimpse of her life is told in a short story. She currently has 3 distinct "companions", each of which she passes consecutively on her way home. These three men all take something from him mentally: happiness, love and hope. A historical point of view influences the way you read the text. Societal trends and opinions influence what is written and how it can be read. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A historical critic may ask "what historical knowledge adds depth to the reading of the work?" », “what historical research is necessary to understand this text? ”, and “what insights does the literary work give us about history?” When thinking about the economic and cultural status of the protagonist, historical knowledge is beneficial. The 1920s are also called the Roaring Twenties. Around this time, women's employment patterns were beginning to change. The vast majority of women worked as housewives. However, a sharp increase of 25% of women began working in the workforce due to the hard work they had done throughout the First World War, due to the absence of men. In the text, the reader learns that the protagonist has taken on the role of writing reviews of acts and that in addition to writing many small acts, she sells them to earn an income. Back in the 1920s, the writing and theater industry was solely controlled by men. As stated in the text, the protagonist sells a deed to Bill's character, Bill refuses to pay the protagonist: "Now is not the time to talk about it," she says, "but I was hoping you would have it by now do. those fifty dollars you promised for my scene in the third act. Even if it doesn't work. You had to pay me for the work with your advance anyway. '” (Porter 185). “Bill said, ‘Do me a favor, okay? Have another drink and forget it. I can't, you know the situation I'm in. ” (Porter 186), previously, Bill had shown the protagonist around the expensive new items he had purchased for the wealth of his house. In this situation, Bill has money, whether he admits it or not. There was no sympathy for the unpaid protagonist, it was the way of life of that generation. Most men did not agree with the presence of women in the workplace. By having done research before reading this short story, the reader can fully understand the protagonist. As a minority included in the work environment, the protagonist must, to some extent, feel alienated. In the story, the reader discovers that the protagonist does not have the feeling of being loved, happy and having hope. Considering all the circumstances in which the protagonist is pressured, she must be a strong and independent woman. In the text, the protagonist stops at Bill's home to collect income: "'You're perfectly dripping,' Bill said" (Porter 185). At this moment, Bill notices the protagonist's state; soaked. Bill does not offer the women a set of dry clothes, or even a towel to dry themselves with. At that time he wasn't even.