Life in the Iron Mills
by Rebecca Harding Davis

Life in the Iron Mills: Dialect 1 key example

Key Examples in Life in the Iron Mills

Dialect
Explanation and Analysis—Where T'Air Blows!:

The Quaker woman explains to Deb that Hugh will be buried in the mill-yard, and Deb begs her to take him and bury him in the clean air. Deb’s Northern English dialect is particularly thick in this scene:

'In t' town-yard? Under t' mud and ash? T' lad'll smother, woman! He wur born in t' lane moor, where t' air is frick and strong. Take hur out, for God's sake, take hur out where t' air blows!'