Out Of This Furnace By Thomas Bell Essay - 1876 Words

â€Å"Out of this Furnace† is a fictional novel by Thomas Bell which is based on true events from the 18th century. It is a well-written tale of Slovak immigrants who came to the United States in search of better opportunities than they had in their old country. The story revolves around four main characters: Djuro Kracha, Kracha’s daughter Mary, Mary’s husband, Mike Dobrejcak, and, their son Dobie. As history tells us, many early immigrants who moved to America had either of these motives: financial prosperity, social status and societal freedom. Similarly, as the story unfolds, we see that all of these characters became subject to harsh conditions and that each of them went through their own version of struggle. This novel has succeeded in enlightening us about the great effort that these Slovak immigrants made against the issues that encountered them in America. They faced numerous hardships in the form of underpaid and unsafe jobs, poor residence and other ty pes of inequalities. Kracha, like most of the immigrants, moved to America by boat in 1881 for financial growth, because of the opportunities in his old country, Hungary, were too scarce for him to climb the financial ladder. He had a wife back at home, who at the time was pregnant. During this time, America opened its borders to a wave of immigrants, who were mainly inexperienced laborers. As America was stepping into the age of industrialization, the demand for cheaper labor went up and therefore, to meet thisShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Out Of This Furnace By Thomas Bell1707 Words   |  7 PagesDobie In Out of This Furnace, author Thomas Bell portrays the historic stories of Slovakian immigrants who migrate to the United States with the dream of becoming a millionaire or trying to escape the oppression in their old country (Bell, 1). The novel illustrates the struggles of three generation of Slovakian immigrants in America enduring poverty, discrimination, exploitation by employers, as well as the development of labor unions. As the story progresses, the novel provides a glimpse of diverseRead MoreWhen A Person Lives In A Certain Society For A Long Period,1324 Words   |  6 Pages the new rising economy, etc. There are many things that can cause significant change in someone’s life especially back in the 1900’s whether it be work related, maybe even related to family or their past. A character from the novel Out of This Furnace by Thomas Bell, Mike Dobrejcak, has been through many situations that have changed him as a person, such as his work, marriage, or even wh en he immigrated to the United States. So many things changed in his life, and because of these changes it helpedRead MoreImmigrant Life in the 19th and 20th Centuries Essay example1561 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican was a prosperous country with incredible economic growth between the end of Reconstruction and the Great Depression. It was during this time that industrial expansion went into high gear because increasing manufacturing efficiencies enabled American firms to cut prices and yet earn profits for financing still better equipment (Henretta 488). 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In his novel, Out of This Furnace, Thomas Bell echoes the experiences of the Kracha family, where he chronicles the various life experiences from one generation to the next. Bell centers on the life of steel workers and their experiences in America. Despite anticipation for a better life, immigrants find life in America hard and are forced to toilRead MoreChildren s Books : An Essential Part Of A Child s Life1105 Words   |  5 Pages Children’s books are an essenti al part of a child’s life because they enhance the development of language and critical thinking skills. This provides a solid foundation of learning for adolescents that will stick with them forever. Books have the power to alter a child’s life and influence their thoughts and decisions as they grow. It affects a child’s perspective on society and how they fit into it (Hunt, 1998). 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