The statue of a woman that Hugh carves out of korl, a byproduct of making iron, symbolizes
Hugh’s longing for more in life
.
What does the KORL woman represent?
The statue of a woman that Hugh carves out of korl, a byproduct of making iron, symbolizes
Hugh’s longing for more in life
.
What color is KORL?
Korl is
flesh colored
, which is why the statue initially appears alive to the visitors.
Who made the KORL figures?
The three men examine the sculpture, which was made out of korl by
Wolfe
.
What crime do Wolfe and Deborah commit?
May reading the newspaper and seeing that Wolfe was put in jail for
stealing from Mitchell
. The story goes back to Hugh and he is in prison with Deborah. The narrator explains how terrible their situation is, and goes on to give detail of Wolfe’s mental disintegration.
What is the purpose of Life in the Iron Mills?
Like later realist and naturalist works, “Life in the Iron-Mills” strives
to present an unflinching picture of lower-class existence within a society that cripples any attempt at something more
, but like sentimentalist works it directly calls upon its readers to engage with the text through their feelings, providing, …
What happens to the statue in Life in the Iron Mills?
Both the outer story of the narrator and the inner story of Hugh and Deborah center on a physical piece of art:
the sculpture that Hugh carves out of korl
. This sculpture endures long after Hugh commits suicide and is the only sign that he ever lived, thus preserving his life story.
What is the mood of Life in the Iron Mills?
Mood and Tone~ Joy
The tone of Life in the Iron Mills is
desperate, gloomy, depressing, and real
. This is evident from just the first page when it says in the first paragraph, “The sky sank down before dawn, muddy, flat, immovable. The air is thick, clammy with the breathe of crowded human beings.
Why does Hugh ultimately decide to keep the stolen money?
Hugh’s desire to live a more beautiful life leads him
to keep the stolen money, but this ultimately leads to Hugh’s downfall when he’s sentenced to nineteen years in jail for theft.
Why does Wolf make figures from the KORL and then destroy them?
Why does Wolfe make figures from the korl and then destroy them? He makes them because he craves beauty, and
he destroys them because they are imperfect
.
Who is Deborah in Life in the Iron Mills?
Deborah, a protagonist of the novella, is
a cotton picker in
an unnamed industrial city in the American South. Deborah lives with her cousin Hugh, his alcoholic father, and six other families in a cramped house. Like Hugh’s life, Deborah’s life is full of pain and suffering.
How long is Life in the Iron Mills?
The average reader will spend
4 hours and 8 minutes
reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
Who is the Quaker woman in Life in the Iron Mills?
The Quaker woman is the
gentle and kindly older woman who visits the prison to tend to
Hugh’s body after his death. During this time, she meets Deborah and promises to return in three years once Deborah is released from prison.
Why does Deborah steal the money from Mitchell?
In the story, she is attracted to Hugh, but he does not share her feelings. It is Deborah who steals a wad of cash from Mitchell to give to Hugh. We learn that she serves three years in
prison for larceny
. … Sensing that his tuberculosis may be incurable, he commits suicide in prison.
Where does Deborah Work Life in the Iron Mills?
Deborah, or Deb, is a young woman in the story “Life in the Iron Mills,” who works in
the cotton-mill
and lives in the same boarding house as Hugh Wolfe, his father, and Janey.
How does Deb describe the iron mill?
In Life in the Iron Mills, Deborah, as discussed above, is described as
a “weak, flaccid wretch
,” but this description seems out of keeping with her description by others. It is Deborah who takes Hugh his food, who pushes him, prods him; robs for him and forces the Quaker woman to give him a burial place.
