Out of This Furnace

The derogatory term is used to describe Slovak immigrants, its origins seemingly having to do with the physical look of many male Slovaks, featuring strong builds, light eye color and blondish hair. In the novel, the term symbolizes the stigma of being both foreign and helpless to do anything about one’s station in life. Immigrants like Mike Dobrejcak, and his sons, like Dobie, are called names like this. As the novel indicates by its end, with the success of the labor unions and fairness becoming a right of even the previously suppressed immigrants, words like “Hunky” took their place in a long list of disrespectful epithets hurled at foreigners and minorities. The unfairness of the word is later meant to be a rallying cry for fairer treatment of all.

The place of politics in the novel is symbolic of each generations desire to become more enmeshed in America, and in etching out a place in the world that is not solely based on unfair treatment or unnecessarily hard work. When Mike Dobrejcak initially becomes interested in politics and begins campaigning, or at least wanting to support Bryan, George warns him about meddling in politics.