OUT OF THIS FURNACE The purpose of this paper I

In summarizing Out of This Furnace it is important to note the generational structure of the book. Bell wants to demonstrate the progress of Djuro Kracha, as he arrives in New York from Hungry. By moving beyond Kracha's marriage to the next generation--his daughter, Mary, who marries Mike Dobrejcak-- Bell is able to show how the immigrants assimilated into the mill towns of Pennsylvania, and they dealt with the inhumane treatment of the mill bosses in an era before the effects of organized labor were felt.

It is with the third generation, symbolized by Dobie Dobrejcak (who can be seen as a stand-in for the author himself), that Bell details out the progress that has finally been made. It is fitting that Bell sees the continuity between Kracha and Dobie: both men understand the importance of the family bond as a way of dealing with the harsh realities of the outside world.

The development of the characters as Out of This Furnace progresses is paralleled with the improvement in conditions with the American labor system. For example, Kracha is seen from the very beginning of the book as a man who is willing to sacrifice in the

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Bell's ideas on how unionization was the key to economic equality in the early part of the twentieth century. There are times when this impulse gets the best of him, as in section 12 of the "Dobie" chapter when he details out a labor meeting. There are many good points brought out about the working atmosphere-- "some of the food received was in a spoiled condition and was thus wasted yet it had to be paid for" (351)-- but much of the plot is conveyed by characters who are not central to the main drama. However, Bell does keep his primary focus on Dobie as he moves the book toward its conclusion. What is admirable in his approach is that he shows Dobie as Kracha's grandson, though he portrays the youth as someone who will not allow himself to fall into the traps that his own grandfather set for himself. Kracha, being from the old country, makes many wrong decisions in his life, like risking his money on shaky financial schemes and causing domestic heartache by cheating on his wife. But it is to Bell's credit that he doesn't judge Kracha's behavior. What he does do is show how Dobie learns from his ancestor's mistakes. For Dobie, there is no cause greater than the uniting of the workers in Braddock, Pennsylvania. He is
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1295
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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