When the workers are told of the reason they have been told to stop work, a “murmur of suppressed excitement flew around the room”. This tells the reader two things: the use of the term “suppressed excitement” suggests they feel the need to hide their happy emotions from Mrs Hanson; another sign of her power over them. It also shows the women’s dependence on others and a sign of their desperation. They feel “excited” due to a farmer’s interest in finding a wife from the oakum room: a proposition that Mrs Hanson describes as “most fortunate” for the women. The women’s desperation is depicted even more clearly when they argue frantically over who should use the one comb the workgroup possess.
The author does well to present the women as individuals through her use of dialogue and description whereas Mrs Hanson attempts to rob them of all of their individuality and personal qualities. The “gingham smock” worn by all the women has been used to demoralise them and make them feel cheap and helpless. Although the women find it difficult under the brutal conditions, they are still able to form strong bonds and a sense of loyalty as a group. There is a strong sense of friendship amongst the women, proven when each worker says they hope the other “gets picked”.
The writer creates gruesome images in the reader’s mind when describing the removal of “sharp particles” from “red and raw” hands. The alliteration here emphasises the extent of the women’s suffering. Tomlinson describes the women’s skin as:
“tough like the skin of a beast.”
This simile is used to convey the dehumanisation of the workforce, who have been forced to change over time, due to the difficult conditions faced as a worker in the oakum room.
The workhouse is described as “charitable” on many occasions by Mrs Hanson. This seems to have been used as an ironic comment by the author who does not believe them to be charitable at all, but a hypocritical and dishonest organisation that exploits vulnerable women.
The women are soon lined up like the cattle that he farms in front of their potential husband and Mrs Hanson goes through the qualities and defects of each of the women as if they are not women but dumb animals, unable to comprehend her callous remarks. This is evident when she describes a young woman by saying:
“She has a young child over at the infants’ ward. Father unknown, of course… still, proof of childbearing.”
Her brutal and unfeeling words convey the idea that she is fully aware of the feeling that Jarrotson has lined these women up to choose one of them as he would an animal, with no regard for their feelings or emotions.
Mr Jarrotson, the farm worker choosing a wife, is described by the author as an ugly and contemptible individual. The “fat man of about fifty” with “small grey eyes” openly looks in disgust at the women, choosing not to treat them as human beings, as his cheeks become “flushed with enjoyment” when he humiliates the workers. This vivid use of word choice clearly conveys his lecherous and disdainful attitude towards the helpless workers. This causes the women to make themselves as unappealing to Mr Jarrotson as possible, in an attempt not to be forced to live with Mr Jarrotson. This shows the reader that the women would rather be working in the treacherous and difficult oakum room together, than be left to marry the farm worker, without the support of each other. Mrs Hanson becomes “furious” as they continue down the line and she feels her domination and iron control of her workers slipping away.
When they reach Polly in the line, it is obvious she possesses meek and humble qualities that Mr Jarrotson finds appealing: he “smiles in relief” then reaches out and “grips” her shoulder. The use of the term “grip” suggests that Polly feels uncomfortable with the contact made by Mr Jarrotson, she does not want to fall ‘into his clutches’, and as a result, lashes out, biting his hand. Polly’s extreme behaviour here conveys the way in which the writer believes that the women have been treated as animals: they have therefore begun to act as animals.
Mrs Hanson’s humiliation is clear to see as her face glows “red with anger”. Two women are called to restrain the “unresisting” Polly, one bearing a strait-jacket, used to symbolise the way in which the women are trapped in the oakum room with no other option in life. The workers are screamed at, and described as “disgrace[s] to their charitable benefactors”. Again, the writer uses this term to suggest the complete opposite: the organisation is not charitable, but harsh and degrading.
The “great entrance” that consists of “high porches and columns” and “ornate clocks” is clearly there for show: an attempt to portray a prestigious and worthy charitable organisation, whereas the working conditions are poor; all of the available money has been spent on the picture painted for the outside world rather than the protection and safety of their workers.
The story ends with the women returning “slowly and quietly” to the oakum room, right back where they started, to face more harsh treatment, knowing that they have made no progress in their position as workers.
I believe this depressing image of their crushed defeated footsteps is described purposely to convey the women’s inability to rebel due to their lack of options in life. The women are clearly in a desperate situation already, and this is the reason they choose to remain in these unrelenting and depressing conditions.
In this short story, Theresa Tomlinson uses vivid and memorable language to depict a situation in which terrible and inhumane conditions have brought out the best in a group of people. The unity and loyalty the women show towards each other, is something we think of as admirable, and her story emphasises the idea that it seems ironic that this type of relationship was caused by such poor and vicious treatment.
There are points throughout the story where the women admit that they wouldn’t “have managed if [they] hadn’t had each other”. This shows a feeling of their strong bond which persists despite Mrs Hanson’s efforts to crush their human spirit. In this short story, Theresa Tomlinson creates a stark contrast between the way in which the poor were treated in Victorian times and the way the poor are treated today. The themes in this short story of courage and dignity in the face of brutality clearly emphasise that people nowadays seem to be developing more respect towards each other as individuals; people nowadays are, thankfully, much more conscious of the way their actions affect others.
