Summary
Stephen Blackpool finds himself caught between two impossible choices as Coketown's workers organize against their employers. Slackbridge, a fiery union organizer, arrives to rally the mill hands with passionate speeches about their shared oppression and the need for collective action. The workers are energized by his words, seeing hope in standing together against the factory owners who treat them as mere machines. However, Stephen faces a personal dilemma that puts him at odds with his fellow workers. Despite agreeing with their grievances and understanding their desperation, he cannot in good conscience join their cause due to a promise he made. This refusal isolates him from the very community he belongs to, making him an outcast among his own people. The chapter reveals how those in power benefit when workers are divided - whether by circumstances, principles, or manipulation. Stephen's isolation demonstrates the painful reality that sometimes doing what you believe is right can cost you the support of those who should be your allies. Meanwhile, the mill owners watch these divisions with satisfaction, knowing that a fractured workforce poses no real threat to their authority. Dickens shows how genuine solidarity requires not just shared suffering, but the ability to bridge individual differences for collective strength. The chapter explores the complex dynamics of labor organizing, where personal integrity and group loyalty can conflict, and where those who refuse to join the majority - even for principled reasons - become targets of suspicion and hostility.
Coming Up in Chapter 21
Stephen's refusal to join the union puts him in an impossible position, making him an enemy to both his fellow workers and the mill owners. His isolation deepens as the consequences of standing alone become clear.
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M_en and Brothers_ 111
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Principled Isolation
When standing by your principles costs you the support of the very community you belong to, making you an outsider among your own people.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how those in power benefit when the powerless turn on each other instead of challenging the real source of their problems.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when workplace conflicts focus on individual coworkers rather than systemic issues—ask yourself who benefits from that misdirected anger.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Union organizer
A person who travels to workplaces to convince workers to band together and demand better conditions. They use speeches and rallies to build solidarity among employees who share common grievances against their employers.
Modern Usage:
Today's union reps still organize workers in Amazon warehouses, hospitals, and retail chains using similar tactics.
Solidarity
The idea that workers are stronger when they stick together rather than acting individually. It means putting group loyalty above personal concerns to fight for shared goals.
Modern Usage:
We see this when coworkers refuse to cross picket lines or when they all agree not to work overtime during contract negotiations.
Scab
A worker who refuses to join strikes or union activities, often seen as betraying their fellow workers. The term carries strong negative feelings because these workers are viewed as helping management against their own class.
Modern Usage:
Anyone who works during a strike or refuses to support workplace organizing gets labeled this way by union supporters.
Agitator
Someone who stirs up workers to rebel against their bosses through passionate speeches and appeals to emotion. Factory owners used this term to dismiss organizers as troublemakers rather than addressing real workplace problems.
Modern Usage:
Politicians and bosses still call activists 'agitators' when they organize protests or push for change.
Class consciousness
The awareness that workers share common interests against their employers, regardless of individual differences. It means recognizing that your struggles are connected to other working people's struggles.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when minimum wage workers support each other across different industries or when people realize their boss has more in common with other bosses than with employees.
Blackleg
Another term for someone who works against their fellow workers' interests, especially by refusing to support strikes or union activities. It suggests someone who has turned their back on their own people.
Modern Usage:
Still used in some workplaces to describe employees who side with management during labor disputes.
Characters in This Chapter
Stephen Blackpool
Tragic protagonist
A mill worker caught between his conscience and his community. He agrees with his fellow workers' complaints but cannot join their union due to a personal promise, making him an outcast among his own people.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who can't join the strike because of personal circumstances
Slackbridge
Union agitator
A passionate speaker who rallies the mill workers with fiery speeches about their shared oppression. He represents the power of collective action but also shows how organizers can turn workers against anyone who doesn't conform.
Modern Equivalent:
The charismatic union rep who gets everyone fired up at meetings
The mill hands
Collective protagonist
The factory workers who are energized by Slackbridge's speeches and see hope in standing together. They demonstrate both the power of solidarity and the danger of turning against those who can't join them.
Modern Equivalent:
The warehouse crew that decides to organize against management
Key Quotes & Analysis
"United we stand, divided we fall"
Context: While rallying the workers to join together against their employers
This classic organizing slogan captures the central tension of the chapter. It shows the power of collective action but also reveals how this unity can become a weapon against those who can't participate.
In Today's Words:
We're stronger together, but if you're not with us, you're against us
"I canna join. I promised that I never would"
Context: When pressed by his fellow workers to join their cause
Stephen's simple statement reveals the painful conflict between personal integrity and group loyalty. His adherence to a promise isolates him from his natural allies and shows how individual principles can clash with collective action.
In Today's Words:
I can't do it - I gave my word that I wouldn't
"The masters laugh to see us divided amongst ourselves"
Context: Recognizing how their internal conflicts benefit their employers
This quote reveals Dickens' insight into how power structures benefit from division among the oppressed. It shows the workers' growing awareness that their disunity serves their employers' interests.
In Today's Words:
The bosses love it when we fight each other instead of them
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Workers unite against bosses but turn on Stephen when he won't join, showing how class solidarity can fracture from within
Development
Evolved from individual suffering to collective action, now revealing the fragility of working-class unity
In Your Life:
You might see this when coworkers unite against management but exclude anyone who won't participate fully in their resistance.
Identity
In This Chapter
Stephen's identity as both principled individual and working-class member creates an impossible conflict
Development
Building on earlier identity struggles, now showing how group identity can clash with personal values
In Your Life:
You face this when your personal beliefs conflict with what your family, community, or profession expects from you.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
The union expects total loyalty while society expects workers to know their place, trapping Stephen between competing demands
Development
Expanded from individual expectations to group pressure and collective demands for conformity
In Your Life:
You experience this when different groups in your life demand loyalty that conflicts with each other or your own conscience.
Power
In This Chapter
Mill owners benefit from worker division while union leaders gain power through enforcing absolute unity
Development
Introduced here as a theme showing how those in authority positions manipulate divisions to maintain control
In Your Life:
You see this when bosses, family leaders, or community figures benefit from keeping their people divided and suspicious of each other.
Isolation
In This Chapter
Stephen becomes an outcast among his own people, more alone than when he simply suffered individual hardship
Development
Introduced here as the painful cost of maintaining personal integrity in group situations
In Your Life:
You might experience this when standing up for what's right costs you friendships, family relationships, or workplace acceptance.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Stephen refuse to join the union, and how do his fellow workers react to his decision?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do the workers turn against Stephen even though he agrees with their complaints about working conditions?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen groups turn against someone who wouldn't go along with the majority, even when that person had good reasons?
application • medium - 4
If you were in Stephen's position, how would you balance staying true to your principles with maintaining relationships with people you depend on?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how people in power benefit when those beneath them are divided against each other?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Isolation Trap
Think of a situation where you've seen someone get isolated from their group for taking a principled stand. Draw a simple diagram showing the different players involved: the person who stood alone, the group that turned against them, and who benefited from this division. Then write a few sentences about what you learned from watching this situation unfold.
Consider:
- •Consider whether the isolated person could have handled things differently while still maintaining their principles
- •Think about who had the real power in the situation and how the conflict served their interests
- •Notice how fear and desperation can make groups demand absolute loyalty, even from good people
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to choose between going along with a group and standing by your principles. What did you choose and why? What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 21: When Workers and Bosses Collide
As the story unfolds, you'll explore class divides create mutual misunderstanding and conflict, while uncovering good intentions can backfire without real listening. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.