So far I have really enjoyed this story; it is very interesting and also easy to read. The aspect of that I have found the most fascinating thus far has to be the transformation of the main character as the strike progresses. On the first day of the strike she is very disconnected. She does not take the strike seriously and does not act as if it even affects her. She talks about how she will have some time off and she continually tells of how she is laughing or finding amusement from the whole ordeal. As the strike progresses, however, her demeanor changes drastically. She goes from being jovial about everything to involving herself and taking the mistreatment personally. Her entries go from being bubbly in the beginning and become harsher as she describes the constant hardships of the women. After she sees how her fellow strikers are being beaten and battered she throws herself into the strike and is determined to see that justice is reached.
In the beginning she is not bothered by the strike and is not motivated to take part in it because she is not as hard up for money as most of the other girls. However she begins to notice how the women that she works with are often times the primary sources of money for their families, yet they make next to nothing. Often times she refers to the “Jew girls” which she comes to admire because of their desire for change and their unwavering work ethic. After witnessing these women return beaten after fighting day in and day out just to survive, she is awakened to the outrageous injustices of the working place. From that point forward, she internalizes the strike and it is no longer strictly monetary. It becomes a true fight for women’s rights. She seems to have found more of an identity and sense of self. She transforms from a somewhat carefree worker to a dedicated reformer. I hope as the strike progresses that she will continue to take bigger roles and have more of an impact.
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One thing that could be explored is why does her demeanor change? She comes from a middle class family, where the money she makes working goes to herself as spending money, so she is not in such a dire state as everyone else, and yet she feels more connected to them then she does her own flesh and blood. Why does she change, is there a defining moment that initiates it or is it something that happens slowly as she begins to she the struggle that many women take on to simply be able to keep their family from starving? I think that it is very interesting that she has made the transformation and even better that she is not being influenced to quit by her "fiance" and father.
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