Francka Sedlar Character Analysis in Out of This Furnace

Francka is George Kracha’s sister and Andrej Sedlar’s wife. She has two sons, Victor and Andy. Francka and Andrej move from White Haven to Homestead, where they purchase a house and where Andrej helps Kracha get a job in the steel mill. Francka has a tenuous relationship with Kracha, as she frequently disproves of his excessive drinking and his affair with Zuska. When she chastises him for committing adultery, Kracha strikes her. Later in the novel, Kracha moves in with Francka after Zuska leaves him. When Francka learns that Kracha will not receive a pension from the steel mill, she intentionally keeps him drunk on homemade moonshine, and Dobie theorizes that she did this to slowly kill him.

Francka Sedlar Character Timeline in Out of This Furnace

The timeline below shows where the character Francka Sedlar appears in Out of This Furnace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Immigration and American Identity Theme Icon

The American Dream vs. Reality Theme Icon

...Kracha to the cook shack, where he reunites with Andrej and his wife, Kracha’s sister Francka. (full context)

...unsympathetic to Elena’s depression. Not long after Dorta and Dubik move to Braddock, Andrej and Francka also decide to take their chances in the steel mills, but they move to Homestead... (full context)

...family travel by train to Pittsburgh, where they switch trains and finally arrive in Homestead. Francka meets them at the station. (full context)

Francka leads Kracha and his family through the streets of Braddock, and Elena comments on the... (full context)

As they walk, a drunk taunts them in slurred Slovak by calling them “greenhorns.” Francka leads the Krachas to her home, which only has one room. Rent is high and... (full context)

...get into the mill, Kracha looks for Andrej, to no avail. He returns home to Francka, and Andrej eventually returns with news that the battle is over. Ten men lay dead... (full context)

...out of the steel mill. Meanwhile, Elena becomes more ill and stops taking in boarders. Francka and Andrej welcome another baby boy, whom they name Andy. Shortly after the birth, Kracha... (full context)

...Zuska moves into a larger apartment. Word of the affair eventually reaches Borka, Dorta, and Francka. Kracha tells them he is merely “getting from another woman what my wife has never... (full context)

...they bury her in the Irish cemetery. Zuska does not attend the funeral, much to Francka’s approval. She suspects that Kracha will resume his affair with Zuska, but Andrej urges her... (full context)

...Mike tells Mary that he and Anna were never a couple. Borka marries one of Francka’s boarders and becomes pregnant, while Anna continues to live with Francka. Mary introduces Mike to... (full context)

Mary discusses Kracha’s refusal to pay more rent with Francka, explaining that when people confront her like that, she only wants to get away. Francka... (full context)

...is waiting at home for Kracha, but he does not show. Mary sends Johnny to Francka’s house to learn his whereabouts when a neighbor, visibly embarrassed, informs Mary that Kracha has... (full context)

...blast posing as St. Nick. Later, after a series of firm lectures from Andrej and Francka, Kracha behaves himself and Greek Christmas unfolds joyously. Having been pushed to her limits, Mary... (full context)

...to fill her in on developments back home. John still works in his saloon-turned-speakeasy, while Francka’s son, Andy, got married. Kracha is now boarding with Francka in Homestead, where she keeps... (full context)

...put his money in banks, which seems wise in hindsight. After living with his sister, Francka, for several years, Kracha had run out of money and Francka demanded that he pay... (full context)

Kracha, however, had soldiered on, and Francka sent him to Woodville, where he somewhat recovered. From there, he ended up in Perovsky’s... (full context)

...and Agnes with their new baby, Joe, Steve, Alice, Frank, Dorta, Steve Radilla, Andrej and Francka. Dobie is overwhelmed by “an endless stream of people for three exhausting days.” His brother,... (full context)

...Mikie warmly and serves the guests food while they await the arrival of the priest. Francka’s two sons get into a drunken fight outside of the house, much to Dobie’s annoyance,... (full context)