Out Of This Furnace

The book Out of This Furnace is a work of historical fiction written by Thomas Bell, in which the lives of four different individuals are told and woven together, and consequentially describe the changes taking place in different generations of immigrant workers in America. Beginning with Kracha, then leading to Mike, then Mary, and finally Dobie, this book does an excellent job of showing how the American immigrant's life changed mid 1800s to the 1920s. As seen in each generation, immigrants became as a whole more and more liberal in their beliefs and lifestyles. Many of their beliefs change, however, one of the most interesting is the development of the labor unions, and how they are viewed by the workers in that time period. Throughout his life, Mike Dobrejcak was a firm believer in the unions. He supported them, and recognized their potential value to workers such as himself, but never was forthcoming in his beliefs. Why, then, does Dobie, unlike his father, choose to openly demonstrate his support and actively speak out?

The first possibility is that Dobie learned from the previous generation, and particularly his father, that passive support did not cause any changes, and he sees a more active approach as the only alternative. Throughout his section of the book, Dobie is continually speaking out as an advocate of the union, and defies the threats given to him by his employers. For example, in a conversation with another coworker regarding the arbitrary pay rate reduction, Dobie answers the question, "Yeah, but if we stay how do we know they won't change the rates again without saying anything?" by saying, "Let's wait until we see the big shot tonight. If he don't give us no satisfaction we won't work." (Bell 265) In this, Dobie shows his proactive nature, and refuses to take no as an answer. He may get this from his family around him, for many of them seem to share similar beliefs. When speaking with Aunt Anna about Election Day, she says: "Well, they're not going to stop me. This isn't 1900 and if they think people are going to jump any time they feel like saying Boo, they have another think coming. The Democrats asked me to work for them and I'm going to and I don't care if I don't get anthing out of it, I'll do it just for the satisfaction of beating the Republicans." (Bell 273) As demonstrated in this dialogue, the uprightness within Dobie's character is shared with others, which may amplify the feelings in him. In this the beginnings of the ethnic workers speaking out, and standing for their beliefs, take root.

Another reason Dobie may be more active in his union support may be that since his comes from a younger, more modern generation, Dobie is naturally defiant, and goes against traditional values held to be popular in that time. He occasionally seems eager to disagree, and jumps at the chance to get into a quarrel with his superiors at work. Whenever the topic of elections is being pushed throughout his department, and his bosses are dictating who the entire labor force should vote for through veiled threats, Dobie refuses to have his mind influenced in any way. "When McLaughlin, the foreman, came around for the second time to tell him pointedly that Todd wanted a one hundred per cent vote in the department, Dobie said, 'No law says I have to vote, is there?'" (Bell 288) He enrages the foreman, but clings to the fact that the union that he belongs to will provide adequate job security and workers rights to keep him at work. Others began to follow suit, not voting or voting against what the company wanted, and these ideas of rebelliousness increased. In another conversation, this time between Dobie and Todd, Todd himself is asking Dobie why he chose not