Three Lives

‘Three Lives’ (1909) is the first published work of fiction by Gertrude Stein, a legendary author and poet. It is a collection of two short stories and a novella focusing on the bleak existence that faced immigrant and minority women in turn-of-the-century America.
The first story, ‘The Good Anna’, relates the tale of Anna Federner, a servant in the household of Miss Mathilda, who clashes with four unreliable servants, Lizzie, Molly, Katy, and Sallie.
The second story, ‘Melanctha’, the longest of the three stories, tells the tale of a girl of mixed race who is dissatisfied with her role in the segregated town of Bridgepoint.
The third story, ‘The Gentle Lena’, follows the life and death of the titular Lena, a German girl brought to Bridgepoint by a cousin, beginning with her life as a servant girl, followed by her marriage to Herman Kreder, which ultimately leads to a tragic conclusion.