In one scene, coalminers shout "Bread! Bread! We want bread!" (265)- a cry that symbolized hunger of working classes and stressed the need for better wages and more humane treatment. The character that I liked the most was that of Catherine, daughter of an experienced miner Maheu, because of her remarkable survivor streak and for her vulnerabilities. Catherine was woman of incredible strength as she opted for harsh conditions of the mines since she found them better than starvation and working in brothels. She felt it was more respectful to push the heavy coal wagon with her body "bent forward and the arms kept stiff, so that [she] could push with all the muscles of the shoulders and haunches" (53) than starving in sub-human conditions. The author has added strength and power to this otherwise diminutive figure. Highly effective is the scene when Catherine leaves for brutalizing work in coalmines: "she seemed like some little man" (Part I, Chapter 2). Catherine plays an extremely significant role in the novel. While she is strong-willed on the one hand, she has her share of vulnerabilities that keep her apart from Etienne, her lover. She also allows herself to be dominated by Chaval- one thing that many readers find rather perplexing. Her death also served a critical purpose and highlighted the real plight of coalminers during French industrialization.

In the book, a Life of Her Own, it is Emilie's relationship with her father that I found interesting and influential. The author talks compassionately about her father, Joseph Carles and believes that her true strength came from a positive relationship with him. Emilie seems to be on a higher wavelength than her siblings when it comes to understanding...

While others drift away and lose contact, Emilie chooses to stay close to her father whom she describes as "not a heartless man; he was good, generous and charitable." (p. 6) Even if Joseph Carles was not particularly demonstrative "We kissed our father twice a year, on his birthday and on New Year's Day," he was certainly a caring loving person who fulfilled the traditional role of a father as the provider. Emilie knew that despite his few flaws, her father was everything a loving father was expected to be in those days. He did what he believed was best for his children and thus Emilie enjoyed a committed relationship with him till the very end. Her father was hard working authoritative figure who cared for his family yet couldn't afford to be very open about his affections and feelings. On one occasion, when Emilie had a minor accident, her father reacted very calmly to the situation that could earn him the label of cold and heartless. But that was not true at all. Emilie shared a warm relationship with her father even though in this case, the bond was based on the child's unconditional understanding of her father's inability to express himself. Emilie had high regard for her father as she wrote: "My father had won almost as a matter of course: he had a reputation for honesty, for know-how, and once he gave his word, nothing could make him back down." This respect was the basis of a solid and strong relationship that turned Emilie into a confident person who actively participated in politics and tried to make a difference.