Mills and Bills

It comes with no surprise that “Life in the Iron Mills” is a powerful piece with many details that capture the essence of the factory environment. Set in the 1860’s, this short story provides a glimpse at how hard life was for the average working American of the time. Nothing short of hell, Davis takes the reader into the black and gray, discouraged and distraught, and sluggish and slimy world of the Wolfe family. Although we do get a glimpse of hope at the end of the story, most everything else described is full of disappointment and negativity.

For instance, Deborah possesses a hump on her back. Davis includes this detail to dramatize the unfortunate life that these people live, because if everyone was healthy, the purpose of this story would be defeated. Along Deborah, Hugh is a described as a man with “bleared eyes, and a dull, washed-out-looking face”, and the poor chap is also forgetful; a personality trait that is unfavorable for a man in a relationship (Davis 2768). To add to the misfortune of this tale, Davis creates a romantic relationship between two cousins, which may have not been looked down upon then, but now the genetic consequences and social taboo of the act are considered unrefined. This sad tale ends in suicide, which is also not surprising. The turn of events only allows the reader to feel pity for Deborah, even though her act of stealing caused her husband to die.

By the end of this novel we can take away that the factory life is horrible, and it’s really just that plain and simple. However, these humans strive to survive, and to support what they have, even if it’s not much. The human condition allows people to always have hope, and this is an important moral in the story. Many people will get discouraged, but they will still move on, because opportunity is never completely lost.