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Part 2, Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Out of This Furnace, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Immigration and American Identity
Industrialization and Destruction
The American Dream vs. Reality
Women’s Work
Capital vs. Labor
Summary
Analysis
The work of keeping boarders has detrimental effects on Mary’s health. One hot summer day, a pregnant Mary faints from exhaustion. Dr. Kralik tells her that she must rest, and that she must get rid of the boarders lest her health decline further. She is reluctant to do so, as the money from the boarders is keeping the family afloat. Dr. Kralik is sympathetic, but he tells Mike: “They say work never killed anyone. I know better, my friend. I have filled out my share of death certificates, and many times I've put down pneumonia or consumption or heart failure when it would have been more honest to write overwork.” Eventually, Mary does get rid of the boarders. The resulting loss of income puts more financial stress on the family. In September, Mary gives birth to their fourth child, Agnes.
Mike ad Mary must measure the monetary benefits of keeping boarders against the danger the extra work poses to Mary’s health. That Dr. Kralik explicitly states that Mary could die from overwork demonstrates the sheer amount of hard, physical labor that women perform in the home. Moreover, the Dobrejcaks’ conundrum reveals the contradiction at the heart of pursuing the American Dream: it promises that hard work will lead to a better life, but the process of working hard literally threatens Mary and Mike’s lives.
Themes
