Life in the Iron Mills: Or, The Korl Woman: Analysis of Major Characters
"Life in the Iron Mills: Or, The Korl Woman" is a poignant exploration of the struggles faced by working-class individuals in a mill town, focusing on two main characters, Hugh Wolfe and his cousin Deborah. Hugh is a young iron mill worker whose kindness and artistic talent contrast sharply with his harsh realities of poverty and illness, ultimately leading to tragedy as he faces societal and personal pressures. Deborah, known for her deformity, embodies unwavering love for Hugh and sacrifices her own well-being in a desperate attempt to support him. The narrative also introduces Janey, a young Irish girl who represents hope and aspiration for Hugh, despite the looming challenges she faces.
Other notable characters include Young Kirby, the mill owner's son, who exhibits disdain for his workers, and Mitchell, a wealthy outsider who exploits his privilege without any sense of responsibility towards those less fortunate. Doctor May, a friend of Young Kirby, embodies the misguided notion of benevolence, believing that mere kindness suffices to address the systemic issues at play. Together, these characters illuminate the complex interplay of class, ambition, and despair in a rapidly industrializing society, prompting readers to reflect on the inherent struggles of the marginalized.
Life in the Iron Mills: Or, The Korl Woman: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Rebecca Harding Davis
First published: 1861
Genre: Novella
Locale: An industrial town
Plot: Social realism
Time: The mid-nineteenth century
The narrator, an unnamed individual of unspecified gender, obviously a member of the privileged class. For some reason, this person has settled in a working-class area of a mill town, in the house where the two protagonists of the story once lived. He or she owns the statue of the “korl woman.”
Hugh Wolfe, a nineteen-year-old iron mill furnace tender. Born into poverty and a mill worker since childhood, he is undernourished and tubercular. Because he does not indulge in vicious pastimes, he is considered effeminate by his fellow workers. His kindness has earned him the love of his cousin Deborah and the young Janey. When upper-class visitors to the mill praise his skill at carving, Hugh thinks that a better life might be possible, and he keeps the stolen money Deborah gives him. Arrested for the theft and sentenced to prison, he commits suicide.
Deborah, Hugh's cousin, a cotton mill worker. She is called “the hunchback” because of her deformity. Her love for Hugh is the central truth in her life. To help him, she steals a pocketbook from the wealthy Mitchell. As Hugh's supposed accessory, she receives only a short prison sentence. After her release, she is taken in by a Quaker woman and spends the rest of her life in a mountain settlement.
Janey, a young Irish girl. She is important primarily as the focus of Hugh's dreams. Although he knows that she will soon lose her health and her beauty, he imagines having enough money to make a decent life with her. Meanwhile, he is her protector.
Young Kirby, the son of the man who owns the iron mill where Hugh works. He despises and fears his employees, whom he views as subhuman, and believes that his only responsibility to them is to make sure that they are paid.
Mitchell, young Kirby's brother-in-law. A wealthy dilettante, he has no convictions and sees the world as a place constructed solely for his amusement. Mitchell refuses to help Hugh fulfill his artistic ambitions and later prosecutes him for the theft of his pocketbook.
Doctor May, a friend of young Kirby. A sentimentalist, he thinks that by speaking kindly to Hugh, he is fulfilling his duty to humanity. He refuses to give Hugh financial backing. Reading of Hugh's sentence, he is offended by what he terms the young man's ingratitude.