The petition
that you are referencing is one circulated by the Female Labor Reform Association that aims to
reduce the factory work days from thirteen hour shifts to ten hours. Chapter Twelve of the book
examines , Amelia, and Betsy's differing opinions on whether or not to sign the
petition.
Lyddie is against signing the petition because she fears that she
will be paid less if she works fewer hours; she wants to work as many hours as possible in order
to afford to pay off her family's debts and reunite them back on the farm.
Signing the petition would also be a formal sign of affiliation with the workers.
Lyddie is scared that she may lose her job if this information is made publicly
known.
In other words, Lyddie prefers the devil she does know to the devil
she doesn't; it is, at this point, safer and more comfortable for her to not sign and to stick
to her current work schedule
No comments:
Post a Comment