Rural migrant woman's struggle adjusting to industrial London life

Peasants in the Big City

Robert and I have made the harrowing decision to move to London. We hated to leave our old home, but we knew that we would never be able to raise our children properly with things the way they were in the country, so here we are. We share a home with Robert's brothers, and while I love them like the family they are, I hate the lack of privacy and space that make up our lives now. Indeed, there is nowhere I can go to escape for even a second's peace, and I miss the quite and peacefulness of the countryside we left behind. Here in London it's dark, dirty, and exceedingly noisy. There are the noises of the machinery in the factories that continue on from dusk 'til dawn. There is the noise and soot from the trains that run just a few meters from our home, and then, there is the dark, sooty air that seems to permeate London and every building in the city. It always seems to be raining soot and dirt, and it is impossible to keep anything clean in this city. I certainly miss the quiet of the countryside, and the sounds I took for granted there, like the chirping of birds, wind in the trees, and the buzzing of bees in the fields. Here, we hear nothing like that, and I'm sad that my children will grow up not knowing or understanding the great beauty of nature and her sounds.

I know that we must have jobs by this winter, because we cannot stay here in the apartment all day without heat, and we must have a way to feed and clothe our children. Robert tries every day at the factory, hoping there will be an opening, while I take in wash and anything else I can do to help create some income. If we can both find jobs, perhaps we can find a room of our own, at least one with a fireplace that we can use for heat in the coming winter.