Sweatshop Girl: Sadie Frowne in \"The Story

¶ … Sweatshop Girl: Sadie Frowne

In "The Story of a Sweatshop Girl," Sadie Frowne describes her life journey from peasant farmer's daughter to factory worker. Her description includes details of her daily life, and the difficulties she faces as a sweatshop girl in the early 20th century. Her narrative also illustrates prevalent social values of the time, as well as her individual values. Her focus on the specific details of her situation show that she is writing this account so that people will understand what life is like for a factory girl, and to gain sympathy from readers for the difficulties facing factory workers.

Frowne's piece begins by recalling her family history and how she came to the United States. Many readers of her time can probably relate to her experience, having come from traditional Eurpoean cultures themselves, or having relatives who were immigrants. When Frowne praises her mother's strength and positive attitude, she elicits readers' images of their own family members who have experienced tragedy and financial hardship. So from the beginning, Frowne is able to appeal to the emotions of her audience, by painting a recognizable picture through the image of her mother.

The next stage in Frowne's narrative includes details about how she came to work in a factory and how she begins to adjust to American society. Here the reader sees an adolescent girl transitioning into adulthood, and sympathizes with her playful attitude as she joins the world of adults. Another point of sympathy here is Frowne's determination to educate herself -- even though she works all day, she goes to school to learn English at night. This trait would appeal to middle and upper-class readers who would appreciate that a working-class girl would have so much enthusiasm for improving herself. In addition, this example illustrates Frowne's desire to assimilate into American culture, which would also be met with approval from middle and upper- class readers. Readers get further validation as she describes the education of Poland as inferior to that of America.

As Frowne's description changes from past to present tense, she gives specific details regarding her salary, living expenses, her savings, and her love interest. The reader sees a girl who works hard, saves some of her money, dresses well, studies at night, and who is admired by a young man who has ambition and a plan for a better future. His image epitomizes the American Dream and the romance of the "rags to riches" narrative. At the end of Frowne's piece we see two young people taking advantage of the opportunity to rise above their humble beginnings -- what's not to love?

The success in Sadie Frowne's piece comes from the focus on her specific life details. She does not describe what life is like in general for factory workers, or paint herself as a victim of horrendous working conditions; rather, she invites us to experience her optimistic story personally. This strategy gives the reader a name and experience to remember, which makes the situation of factory workers more real. The effect is that people reading this article will be more apt to sympathize with factory workers because now they have a real-life anecdotal example to refer to.