American History

Out of this Furnace is a novel by Thomas Bell.It talks about the life of immigrants in the United States in the mid-1880s which was a time when the long depression has started. The depression caused an economic recession in most places so that people tried to find ways in order to better their lives, even if that meant crossing borders and leaving their families behind. Along with the depression however, came the industrial revolution of the United States. The United States, being in an era of industrial revolution had a lot of jobs to fill. It was just fitting that migrants would choose to go to the United States for the opportunity it presented. What the migrants did not know was that, even with the opportunity, life would not be easy. This novel relates just how 3 family generations of Slovakian immigrants found their place in their new country, struggled to survive economic and racial issues and finally learned what it meant to be called Americans. Their story is narrated in four parts and through the point of view of four main characters namely, George Kracha, Mike Dobrejcak, Mary Dobrejcak, and Doby Dobrejcak.

The novel starts with the first part with the story of George Kracha and his journey to the United States. He temporarily leaves his wife in order to set out a new and better life for them in a land of opportunity. Many migrants believed that when they get to the United States, they would become rich asevidenced byGeorges statement, Who knows We may all be millionaires by then (Bell). His journey allows him to meet a girl named Zuska that he would later engage in an extra-marital affair with. He arrives in New York and heads to Pennsylvania to work on the railroads and then in the steel mills until he finally starts his own business. Just as his life was about to be more prosperous, he engages in an extramarital affair with Zuska who he meets for the second time in his shop. He continues his affair even with the knowledge of his wife who was already with him in the United States. This causes his customers to find other shops and finally causing Georges business to fail. George then turns into alcohol for his troubles and ends up a drunkard. His extramarital affair with Zuska ends and his wife eventually succumbs to death.

The Second part talks about Mike Dobrejcak, the husband of George Krachas daughter, Mary. Mike is a contrast of George Kracha in that he is set in making his life better and hopes more for himself than what he already has. He pursues to have a bit of education and is able to read and write English. He has aspirations of becoming a full-pledged American, without the oppression of being a Hunky. He was a man of hope and could have been the main protagonist of the book unfortunately, the chapter ends with his untimely death.

Mary Dobrejcak then becomes the center of the third part. After mourning for her husbands death, she and her daughter Pauline catches tuberculosis and are sent to a sanitarium. The last chapter ends with her and daughter Paulines death and finally, the last part centers on Dobie Dobrejcak. Dobie Dobrejcak is Mary and Mike Dobrejcaks son. Here he emerges as the successful protagonist. He leaves the mills and sets out to Detroit. He learns the ropes and forms ideas regarding labor issues and becomes involved in setting up unions for the mills. This marked a changed in the lives of the immigrants in the steel mills. Dobie becomes successful with his vision and eventually lives the American dream, earning his right to be fitly called an American.

The novel is a compelling story of the life of immigrants in the 1880s yet it is also effective in helping people understand the era. It provides a good look at the way of life in those times, either in the sense of industrial or economic states. The 1880s marked an industrial revolution in the United States which was the reason for the mass migration of people from other countries. This migration of people allowed for the running of the industries with cheap labor. Migrants, just like in the novel, agreed to work on railroads and steel mills even with low wages. Low wages were the result of the continous presence of workers to fill positions in industries. The novel also illustrated the evolution of steelworkers unions which in the real world, involved a long process of strikes and even deaths. The last part must be the chunk of history as Dobie helped establish unions and was successful with that endeavor. In history, worker unions gained success in achieveing their desired wages andthe era ends with the establishment of the US Department of Labor which acts as a mediator in labor-related disputes. Another form of oppression which is also displayed in the novel is the issue on racial discrimination which is still present, though at a minimum in this time. The novel relates the struggle of oppression attributed to race and is very effective in raising awareness of the issue. Racial discrimination has also played a big part on the history of the United States.

In conclusion therefore, the novel is an effective tool in understanding the era whether in the economic, industrial, or racial aspects. Readers become drawn to the story and grasp history at the same time. Itis a form of entertaining yet historicalnovel and that adds to the books appeal as an effective and convincing form of historical text. The characters come into terms with their problems, achieve their dreams of living the American life and become fitly called an American. These events unfold and coincide with the progression of the historical events that happened in that era. In order to blendthe story with the exact events of that time successfully, some distortions may have been made but these mishaps are overshadowed by the depiction of true events, such as the Homestead steel strike.

The most effective style that was used here was to intertwine historical events with the personal lives of people in that time. The ethos of the times is clearly shown in the thoughts and actions of the characters involved. Thus making the rendition and the drama together with the historical events easily stick to the memory of the readers.Bell, Thomas. Out of this Furnace. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1976.