Harsh Conditions of Mill Workers/ Ella's Hardships

Ella May Wiggins is the main character of this novel, and her character is based on a historic figure who actually lived in North Carolina and worked for the textile mills. Ella May's story addresses the need for reform in working conditions. Ella worked for reform by joining with others to support unions.

Ella is honest about her life when she addresses the various union meetings, and she describes the hardships she has endured, knowing that others have lived similar lives with similar difficulties and losses. The hardships include the death of a child, two men who refuse to help support the family, and working impossibly long hours for wages that will not provide the necessities for her family.

Ella talks several times about her son, Willie, who died as a toddler. She describes the heartbreak of watching a child...