experiences. Like Arnow, Gertie was raised in the Kentucky hills,

and then because of her husband, is forced to move into public housing

in wartime Detroit. Arnow's husband, Harold, "early in 1944 went to

Detroit, where he secured a reporter's job with the Detroit Times.

Harriette stayed behind for a time to sell the cattle and other animals

and then followed." [3]

Their new home in Detroit was a severe contrast to what Harriette was

used to in Kentucky. People of all religious and economic backgrounds

were poured into this small area, and created a very interesting

background that she would later incorporate into her novel

The Dollmaker. [4]

There are also many similarities between Gertie's carving and Arnow's

writing. Arnow was raised in a strictly religious family, where writing was

considered a pointless and impractical activity. Similarly, Gertie's mother

disapproves of her whittling. "Writing has been to her what knitting and

crocheting are to other women." [5] Both of these women, real and

fictional, used their art as an escape from the troubles of Detroit