PART. VII -Buttered Side Down

“Maymeys from Cuba,” part of Edna Ferber’s “Buttered Side Down,” unfolds the tale of Jennie, a young, unemployed, and famished woman in Chicago during wintertime. Jennie stares longingly at exotic fruits in a grocer’s window, where affluent delicacies like peaches, grapes, and a curious item labeled “maymeys from Cuba” ignite in her a mix of desire and indignation. As hunger gnaws at her, Jennie reflects on the absurdity of such luxuries amidst her own dire need.

Her journey from the mesmerizing window display moves to a deeper exploration of urban desolation and hunger. Jennie’s attempt at seeking employment or assistance is met with indifference or suspicion, emphasizing the city’s callousness towards its needy. Ferber describes Jennie’s desperate wanderings through Chicago’s eateries and food shops, her longing intensified by the sights and smells of food she cannot afford.

Jennie eventually finds herself in a department store’s grocery section, surrounded by an array of delicacies. She barely sustains herself by cunningly sampling bits of cheese and sausage from different counters, avoiding detection by pretending interest in purchasing. The narrative sways between Jennie’s dire situation and brief, illusory moments of relief through her small deceptions.

Her plight escalates in the store’s Scottish bakery section, where, driven by desperation, she attempts to steal a scone, only to be caught. The public humiliation and her subsequent collapse under the weight of hunger and shame bring the story to its climax. In a poignant twist, a bystander mishears Jennie’s faint murmur about “maymeys from Cuba,” interpreting it as a personal identity revelation: that Jennie claims to be “Mamie from Cuba,” hinting at the tragicomic misunderstanding of her real circumstances.

Through Jennie’s story, Ferber critiques the stark economic inequalities and societal indifference to poverty, underscored by the irony of exotic fruit symbolizing both the zenith of luxury and the nadir of Jennie’s despair. The narrative captures the essence of struggle and the human condition amidst the backdrop of a bustling, indifferent city.