Out Of This Furnace Analysis

At the start of the 1900s, there was a dramatic shift in how work was perceived and a growing sense that something needed to change. This urgency allowed for great change and because of that there are fundamental differences between the conditions of labor for Mike and his son Dobie from Out of This Furnace. Unlike Mike, Dobie was able to feel fully American because of the place he occupies and the conditions of that place. The most critical change in worker’s thinking was the fall of deferential politics and the rise of worker empowerment that happened during this time.
Even superficially, there are many differences between Mike and his son Dobie. Mike was an idealist who felt a lot of pride fpr his work, was interested in politics, and …show more content…
His father Mike, however, was content with following the rules and he wished to be appreciated for his work. Mike was a loyal worker who believed in part that your boss was your master, while Dobie was quick to challenge his supervisors, especially through his position in the Employee Representation Plan. After the 1919 strike, management of companies across the nation were more lenient and willing to think about expanding the benefits for their workers, in fear of another strike. That very fear led Dobie’s employer to create an Employee Representation Plan, or a company union, to make employees feel like their concerns were being validated. Similar to his father, Dobie is connected to politics, but rather than just being the attentive citizen that Mike was, Dobie acts as an activist and is very much connected to the politics in the workplace and is not even afraid to put himself in danger to protect the needs of the great worker; especially with his position in the ERP. Additionally, he is able to deflate the ego of his supervisors, something that out of fear, Mike would have never been able to do, but Dobie’s times are the times of the empowered workers. Dobie’s audacity is easily recognized in this passage from the