Out of This Furnace

The place of politics in the novel is symbolic of each generations desire to become more enmeshed in America, and in etching out a place in the world that is not solely based on unfair treatment or unnecessarily hard work. When Mike Dobrejcak initially becomes interested in politics and begins campaigning, or at least wanting to support Bryan, George warns him about meddling in politics. George is symbolic of the first generation of immigrants. He is the closest to the old country, and understands that many of the men in power in America are like the dukes and emperors of the old country. As such, he wants nothing to do with politics. The novel explains how most immigrants wanted nothing to do with politics, at least in the early days. All they wanted was work and some sense of security. Most did not even have time to think about anything else but survival.

With newer generations, identity and self-worth become tied up in bettering oneself in life. Politics enter to bring about effective change. Mike again involves himself with politics when he votes for Eugene Debs, wanting a change in the lives of immigrants. Likewise, Mike’s son, Dobie, becomes heavily involved in the union movement and labor talks. Like his father, he thinks a better way of life is possible, and he does not want to sit by and let the steel mill workers be treated unfairly. Politics gives him a voice and a way to act against the injustice he sees around him. In this way, politics is tied to progression and seeking a better way of life through voice, reason and action.

The feeling of being both foreign and an unofficial citizen is one that haunts many of the characters in Out of This Furnace. George Kracha feels that he made all the right choices in deciding to go into business for himself. As such, he has realized the American Dream by relying on his own reasoning and getting himself out of the steel mill. Yet his financial failures and the ensuing misery cause him to lament to Dorta. When he is released from jail for beating his wife, he must go to Dorta’s house, his own being taken from him along with his business. George still cannot understand how some men know exactly how to make things work without even thinking about it, yet he was not able to do so. He mimics this same feeling earlier on, before his troubles, when he tells his second wife, Zuska, that due to his troubles, “I feel like a man in a foreign country” (106). George’s statement is puzzling in that, technically, he is a man in a foreign country. What George is getting at, however, is that he had begun to feel as if he was a new man, an American, even though he was not an American citizen. His place as a failed businessman highlights his place as an immigrant trying to survive, and as such, it paints a stark contrast to his imagined life as a successful American businessman.

Other characters, such as Mike Dobrejcak, know that they are foreigners and cannot vote, but still immerse themselves in the politics of the day. George cautions that this will do harm, not good, as immigrants have no place in politics. When Dobie sees the harsh treatment of steel mill workers, he longs to better himself and the lives of others. Though his father was an immigrant, and though he is known as a Hunky, a derogatory term that signifies a type of immigrant, Dobie also knows that politics and the unions can help those like him succeed in life, thus helping them to achieve the American Dream. As such, they can hold on to their pride and identity as Slovaks, and still be Americans as well.