Ashes Of Roses

Despite gaining confidence with the sewing machine, Rose is intimidated by the prospect of working in the large Triangle factory. When they meet other seamstresses, Rose learns that Gussie lost her position as a sample-maker on the eighth floor because she came in late on the day she went with Rose to confront Moscovitz. The demotion also comes with a pay cut. Rose notes that there is a line of workers waiting to use the elevators to enter the factory. The women use the elevators in the morning but must use the stairs at the end of the day. The doors are locked at eight in the morning and are not unlocked until the lunchbreak at noon. If a worker is late, they will be locked out until then. It is Rose’s first-time riding in an elevator. In the factory, Gussie shows her how to press down with her foot on the treadle to connect with the power that operates the machines. With trepidation, Rose starts working. Suddenly, the needle goes through her finger three times, and she sees blood on the fabric. Gussie and another woman bandage her hand, consoling her that everyone has this same mishap at some point. Rose despairs and wants to go home, but Gussie encourages her.

That night when Mr. Garoff sees Rose’s bandaged finger, he argues with Gussie in Yiddish, though Rose is not sure why he is upset. Maureen does not like her school because the teacher is trying to make the children into Americans. She would rather be working. Rose tells her that many girls back in Ireland would beg for that opportunity. The next day, Rose climbs the steps to work instead of using the elevator and starts to enjoy the work. At lunch, Gussie has union business to attend to, so Rose plans to eat at her machine like she sees other women doing. Two other women invite her to eat with them, so she joins them. They are also named Rose: Rose Bellini and Rose Klein. They all decide to go by their last names to avoid confusion. Klein plans to find a beau for the other two women. Rose enjoys their company greatly. The next day, they discuss dime novels. Rose has never read one, so Klein and Bellini lend her a book to take home. They also invite Rose to the nickelodeon to see a movie. Rose worries about the expense and is not sure what to do with Maureen, but Klein and Bellini convince her to bring Maureen along. Rose feels like her American life is finally starting and plans to write to Ma about the experience.

At the end of the workday, Rose sees Gussie talking to other workers about the union. She feels that Gussie is so involved in her union duties that she never has any fun. She also looks older than her 18 years. Rose enjoys working at the factory. One day, Klein offers to help her buy more stylish yet affordable clothes once she gets paid. Rose decides to walk home with Klein and Bellini instead of Gussie. When Klein sees that they live near each other, she suggests walking together in the morning, too, but Rose feels that she should go in with Gussie. Because Klein and Bellini both live with their families, Rose imagines how life could be if her whole family would live there together. At home, Maureen is happy about the plans to go to the nickelodeon. Gussie, however, disapproves of spending money on such frivolous things. She points out that she had the heel of her shoe mended in a way that will make the shoes last a long time for five cents, the same price as the nickelodeon.

Rose invites her to join them, but Gussie declines. She also criticizes the dime novel she sees in Rose’s bag and sets the heavy tome Women in Industry in front of Rose, praising it as more important reading. They discuss why Gussie is so concerned about workers’ rights. Gussie explains that her father came over from Russia eight years earlier, but the poor working conditions caused his sight and stamina to fail, so Gussie now supports him. When Rose points out that the Triangle factory is a good place to work, Gussie explains that the Triangle fails its workers by refusing to pay overtime and holding dance parties for the scab workers during the strike. The company also skirts the law about required space for workers by counting the headspace of the high ceilings. Rose dismisses Gussie’s concerns.

Outside the nickelodeon, Rose watches as Klein flirts with two handsome boys. Bellini tells Rose that they never let the boys pay for them because then the boys will expect favors from them. Rose is flustered when Jacob approaches her, and she can barely make conversation with him. However, he seems more interested in whether Gussie is there. In the theater, Rose starts laughing in amazement at The Lonedale Operator, her first moving picture. She quiets, though, when an usher threatens to kick her out for disturbing the other viewers. When she and Maureen return home, Mr. Garoff is upset that Gussie worked at the factory on Shabbes (the Jewish sabbath) and stayed late for union business. He explains that she used to have a choice about working on Shabbes. Rose wonders if Gussie’s demotion the reason why she now works on Saturdays. When Gussie returns home, she confirms this, explaining that she has to work the extra day to make up for the pay cut. Mr. Garoff accuses her of acting like their non-Jewish boarders, but Gussie defends Rose and Maureen, saying that they’re good people.

Rose finishes reading the dime novel over the weekend. The sisters go window-shopping and walk to the East River, which makes Rose recall the swimming rivers, segregated by sex, that they visited in Ireland. At home, Rose writes her first letter to her parents, omitting the fact that they are living with Jewish people. Back at work on Monday, Rose receives another dime novel, and Bellini chides her into agreeing to see another nickelodeon feature that weekend. Klein counts all the women named Rose at the factory: 17. Two days later, Rose sees a group of young girls enter the factory floor with a man. Maureen is among them. Gussie tells her that the man is a subcontractor who finds girls willing to work for less money. Gussie prevents Rose from confronting Maureen right then and there, as Maureen will cause a scene and Rose will lose her pay and possibly her job. When Rose confronts Maureen at home, they get into a physical fight, but after Maureen gives up the struggle, she lays out her case for why she should work instead of going to school, asserting that her entire salary help them save money so that their family can return to America. Realizing that she cannot physically keep Maureen in school, Rose relents.