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Summary Of Life In The Iron Mill By Rebecca Harding Davis

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Summary Of Life In The Iron Mill By Rebecca Harding Davis
The story “Life in the Iron Mills,” by Rebecca Harding Davis is about the lifestyle of an iron mill worker during the industrial revolution. In the story, Hugh, an iron mill worker with dreams of becoming an artist, faces a person vs. self conflict. This conflict helps to develop the theme of false promise of the American Dream. Hugh faces a person to self conflict when he goes to the church and is faced with a dilemma with regards to whether or not he should keep the stolen money or return it. He enters the church as he determines “The money - there it lay on his knee… God made this money… he never made the difference between rich and poor.” (22). This exemplifies how poor Hugh is and how badly he needs money. Consequently, he needs money
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