Analyzing Thomas Bell's Out of This Furnace

Introduction to Thomas Bell's "Out of This Furnace"

Thomas Bell's novel Out of This Furnace examines the lives of mill workers in the late nineteenth century. This was the period during which many Europeans made the arduous journey to America in search of a better life. In hopes of one day returning home wealthy, these unskilled laborers worked long hours in dirty, dangerous factories for measly wages that barely covered room and board. One of these hopefuls, whom Bell puts into perspective, is Djuro Kracha. In the novel, Kracha arrives in America with nothing and works hard for many years in a steel mill. After some time, Kracha becomes a prosperous entrepreneur by opening a butcher shop. However, through a series of unfortunate events, he loses everything: his wife, his business, his land, his home, and his children. Why did these things happen? He brought about his own downfall because of his inability to resist temptation.

Hard Work and Opportunity

Kracha is portrayed as a hardworking man. One of the underlying themes of Out of This Furnace is that hard work is supposed to be rewarded. Unfortunately, in the late 1800s, one needed more than just hard work to become successful. Luckily, Kracha is also a smart man. He sees an opportunity to start a business and seizes it. However, from the very beginning, we can see that Kracha has two major weaknesses. His first is Zuska Mihula, a dark and mysterious woman he cannot keep his eyes off of. Later on, the reader is clued in to how much he truly likes her when he is talking with his old friend Dubik. He says, "I would have given every penny I had for half an hour alone with her" (Bell, 1976, p. 13). Kracha spends all of his money on liquor to celebrate Zuska's birthday. This explains why Kracha had to walk all the way from New York to White Haven. He uses alcohol to try and coerce her into having sex with him, but she does not concede to his desires. Later in the novel, she causes him further trouble, leading to his ultimate ruin. He has a secret affair with her, and naturally, everyone finds out. When this news is discovered, Kracha loses all of his customers. In desperation, Kracha turns to his second weakness: alcohol.

The Role of Alcohol in Kracha's Life

Alcohol plays a considerable part in Kracha's life. He abuses it in various ways throughout the book. In one instance, he capitalizes on the human addiction to alcohol to secure a job. He offers an Irishman a drink as a bribe for employment. The Irishman replies, "I never refuse a drink." Then Dubik and Kracha laugh heartily at this confession of human weakness (Bell, 1976, p. 29). In another instance, Mike Dobrejcak is down due to Bryan's Presidential loss. To comfort him, Kracha believes that alcohol will cheer him up, and says, "Now come on, I buy you a drink. The world hasn't come to an end" (Bell, 1976, p. 67). It seems as though alcohol can heal everything. When his world collapses around him, Kracha resorts to drinking steadily (Bell, 1976, p. 90) in his self-pity. Eventually, he starts beating his second wife, Zuska. However, he is unable to remember all that happened that memorable summer, possibly because during its two most crowded months at the butcher's shop, he was continuously drunk (Bell, 1976, p. 107).

Conclusion: The Downfall of Djuro Kracha

At the onset of his downfall, Kracha could not resist Zuska. This weakness caused him to lose his business. In the end, he could not resist alcohol in his self-pity. An immigrant who did not know English in the late 1800s could have been prosperous, as Kracha initially showed. Unfortunately, his lack of resistance to temptation ultimately led to his ruin. Kracha's story serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles faced by many immigrants during this era, emphasizing the importance of resilience and self-control.