Tight White Collar, like Peyton Place before it, is in many ways a New England novel reminiscent of other small town novels set in rural northeastern communities. Since one of its primary elements is a mill, it also reminds us that there was a rich tradition in literature written by women primarily for women which focused on the plight of the poor mill workers. This novel can also fit into the traditions of the socially conscious fiction of the late nineteenth century which was designed to remedy social conditions in the mills. Many of the elements in these novels can be found in Metalious's book as well. Female mill workers who are sexually preyed upon by unscrupulous mill owners and male workers, the lack of opportunity for advancement, and the presence of immigrant labor are all present in this twentieth-century version of the mill tract.