There have been multiple comparisons between the menial laborers and slaves. While this comparison is not completely accurate as the workers we able to leave and did get paid, there were many similarities. The work was dehumanizing and took away parts of their lives.
In Martha Hodes’ The Sea Captain’s Wife, Eunice was forced to remain working in a factory even after she was married. In previous years women would marry and, especially if their husbands had a stable trade like shoemaking, they would stop working and take care of the home. However, technological advancements brought with them cheaper and easier ways to make things that used to be a specialty. Eunice had to move into tight, dirty quarters to live while she worked. She was not able to live with her husband or son. She was forced into a life completely different than was expected at this