Analysis of Steel Worker Hardships
Analysis of Steel Worker Hardships
Based on Mike and Mary Dobrejcak’s experiences as described in Out of This Furnace, the working-class men and women faced difficult times as they attempted to create a better life for themselves and their families. In comparing the hardships between immigrant men and women, the challenge women faced seemed much more extreme based on economic, political and social factors.
Economically, it was more difficult for women, such as Mary, to survive in a culture that considered men to be the primary breadwinners of the household. Mike and the other immigrant men were eagerly employed. But only because they were willing to work long hard hours for low wages. In contrast, it was often much harder for women to find an occupation that could economically sustain a family. It was challenging for Mary to find employment after being widowed, mainly because she was left to care for her three children alone. She had to find a way to survive in a world where wives and mothers rarely worked outside the home, and when they did their wages were much lower than their male counterparts. As a result of Mary not being able to work, she had to take her father in as a boarder, mend clothing, and watch her oldest son enter the workforce just so she could make ends meet. All of her efforts made to maintain a decent standard of living for her family caused Mary to become very ill. When Dr. Kralik examined the stricken Mary, he uncovered the root of her illness. “They say work never killed anyone. I know better…”(Bell 175). The doctor often described illnesses as “pneumonia or consumption or heart failure” when he would have been more honest in describing them as “overwork and poverty” (Bell 175).
Along with the economic disadvantages that immigrants faced, their political views were also thought of as inferior. Mike became very interested in the campaigns and he became aware of his vote as a voice against the trusts and industries. Even though he was forced by his employer to register as a Republican, he decided to vote as a socialist and exercise his political freedom. Voicing his opinion through voting gave Mike some degree of satisfaction, while Mary did not have the same opportunity. Women were not perceived as equals in the political forum. This was frustrating to...