Introduction
Germinal,' by Émile Zola, depicts the process by which social movements form and the circumstances that lead to their emergence through the protagonist, Etienne Lantier's, experiences.
Working Conditions and Poverty
As a laborer, Etienne encounters several problems, including getting dismissed for espousing socialist ideals that contrasted from those of his supervisors, who accepted capitalism ideas. Furthermore, Etienne encountered horrible working circumstances in which, despite the great risk of drowning, burning owing to high temperatures in the pits, and being hit by collapsing walls, the corporation failed to provide enough protection gear for all workers. Additionally, the workers were underpaid, contributing to the poverty and low living standards among the mine workers. In a bid to improve the wellbeing of the working class, Etienne created a social movement, ‘International,' which workers used to champion for better working conditions and pay through a strike that affected all the mines in the region. Etienne’s story demonstrates that undesirable experiences lead to the birth of social movements, as people seek to challenge the status quo by coming together to champion for their rights and eliminate oppressive leadership systems.
The Role of Dissatisfaction
The three major parts of the novel that illustrate the argument that social movements emanate from elements of dissatisfaction among the members of society are part 1, part 2, and Part 7. Part 1 demonstrates the poor working environment that workers are exposed to both in the north and the south, yet they lack a voice to change the current situation. While working in the south, Etienne is dismissed from work, where he worked as a mechanic for embracing socialist ideas in a capitalist setting. Etienne’s dismissal demonstrates an aspect of job insecurity, where one could be dismissed without any valid reason that directly relates to work.
Poverty and Insecurity
Such insecurity causes more trouble for the already underpaid and ill-treated worker; thus Etienne begins his journey towards creating a social movement the moment he is dismissed since he continually thinks of how the workplace could give the working class more security and stability. As Etienne was traveling north, Zola (3) states that ‘One idea alone occupied his empty head, that of a laborer without any work or anywhere to stay.' The statement illustrates that since the majority of workers lived hand to mouth, dismissal from work without any notice meant that workers risked lacking basic needs because they did not earn enough to enable them to save for days when they would go without work.
Rivalry and Greed
Part 1 also illustrates the poverty that the mine workers endured, which further forced them to work under the life-threatening conditions at the mines. Bonnermont, for instance, despite encountering several accidents at the mines, including drowning and burning, which left him weak to work under the prevailing conditions, he is still determined to work for another two years so that he can be granted the full pension. Bonnermont argues that the management is greedy since despite acknowledging his problems, they cannot give him the full pension yet he is only left with two years to retire. Instead, the management convinces Bonnermont to take an early retirement, where he will be compensated 150 francs so that they can save since if he works for another two years, he will be paid 680 francs (Zola and Duffy 9). However, although the management seems greedy, Bonnermont considers working despite his health challenges due to the poverty that surrounds him; hence, he heavily relies on the full pension to meet his basic needs after retirement since he does not have any savings following the poor pay he receives from the company.
Rivalry and Exploitation
Part 2 illustrates the rivalry that exists between firms in capitalist societies as each firm struggles to accumulate more wealth at the expense of the worker. The rivalry is brought out in a conversation that involves Gregoire, an investor at Montsou, and Denelium, the owner of Jean-Bart mine, one of Vandamme's mine. Montsou was trying to purchase Vandame at a lower price, once it destabilized Vandame through the cut-throat competition strategies that it had implemented. The author notes that when Gregoire was advising Denelium to treat with Montsou, ‘He was alluding to the old hatred which existed between the concession of Montsou and that of Vandame’ (Zola and Duffy 75). Denelium then swears that Montsou can never have Vandame when he is still alive, illustrating the extent of the hatred between the two companies and Montsou’s greed to accumulate more wealth. Since Montsou realized that they could not acquire Vandame, they resulted in implementing new payment policies, which involved cutting down the workers’ salaries so that they could lower their operating costs and maximize their profits.
A Strike for Change
The new policy, which adds more pain to the already fed up workers who are desperate to improve the working conditions at the mines, triggers the social movement. To pursue the change they needed, the workers joined ‘International’ and started a strike that stopped all the operations of the Montsou Company, as well as private mining companies, such as Jean Bart. The engagement of the army, however, prevented the strike from achieving its objectives, since the deaths of the striking miners intimidated others into ending the strike. The strike, although it did not meet its objectives, it was a crucial step towards the fight for better working conditions, since it informed the owners of the companies of the dangers of poor treatment of workers.
Fighting for Change
In part 7, Etienne’s survival and going back to Paris as a worker demonstrates hope for the working class. Although many considered Etienne as the reason that the strike failed, his strong socialist ideas remained. The nature of Etienne's ideas is illustrated when he is granted money so that he can quit work in the mines but he refuses, showing that he does not agree with the views of the capitalists, including greed. ‘But he refused the hundred francs. He had already received a letter from Pluchart calling him to Paris and enclosing money for the journey’ (Zola and Duffy 468). Thus, going to work in Paris with Pluchart, who encouraged him to create the ‘International,' demonstrates a new force that would fight for the welfare of workers more effectively after considering the lessons that Etienne gained from the first strike.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Zola demonstrates that the birth of a social movement involves a process where there must be undesirable experiences that trigger the need to change the status quo. In ‘Germinal’ the factors that lead Etienne to create a social movement include the constant oppression of the workers, where workers are underpaid, exposed to life-threatening working conditions, and denied the freedom of expressing their ideas since they risk dismissal from work. The factors made it easy for the oppressed miners to join the movement that sought to resolve their problems by championing for improved working conditions and better pay. Zola portrays social movements as essential tools for challenging the status quo and promoting the well-being of the oppressed in societies, since they emerge to address the inequalities that exist in societies.
Works Cited
Zola, Émile, and Larry Duffy. Germinal. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 2007. Print.
