Mikie Dobrejcak Character Analysis in Out of This Furnace

Mikie is Mike and Mary’s third-born child. He is Dobie and Pauline’s younger brother and the older brother of Agnes. When his mother falls ill, Mikie lives with her and Pauline in the sanitarium, where he grows to be taller than Dobie. He becomes an apprentice machinist in the Westinghouse and upon finishing, gets a job in the steel mill. Mikie then moves to New York, where he develops an interest in photography. He prefers the East Coast to Braddock's dirty, smoky air.

Mikie Dobrejcak Quotes in Out of This Furnace

The Out of This Furnace quotes below are all either spoken by Mikie Dobrejcak or refer to Mikie Dobrejcak. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Immigration and American Identity Theme Icon

You know, you really ought to be allowed to pick your own place to be born in. Considering how it gets into you.

Related Characters: Mikie Dobrejcak (speaker), John “Johnny” Dobrejcak / Dobie

Related Symbols: Steel Mills, Unions

Page Number and Citation: 373

Explanation and Analysis:

Dobie and Mikie use Kracha’s funeral as an opportunity to take stock of where they are in life. While Dobie has chosen to stay in Braddock, Mikie has moved to New York, and the sight of Braddock during his visit home reminds him of why he left in the first place. With this quote, Bell once again examines the role of place in shaping human identity, which he earlier examined by describing Dobie as “a child of the steel towns,” whether he knew it or not. The difference now is that Dobie is a man who is well aware that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore

Mikie Dobrejcak Character Timeline in Out of This Furnace

The timeline below shows where the character Mikie Dobrejcak appears in Out of This Furnace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The American Dream vs. Reality Theme Icon

...Mike and Joe vote accordingly. On Decoration Day, Mary gives birth to a third child, Mikie Dobrejcak, and Johnny begins school in the fall. Anna begins dating a saloon worker named... (full context)

...so early. The family sits down to a steaming pot of soup, and Mary chastises Mikie for making a mess. Pauline, meanwhile, stops eating. She is “a very thin, big-eyed child,”... (full context)

Industrialization and Destruction Theme Icon

...dentist’s home and office. On days when she is away from home, Anna watches over Mikie and Agnes. (full context)

...in the sanitarium. They exchange presents, and Johnny then spends time outside with his brother, Mikie. While exploring the wooded ruins of an old sawmill, Johnny tells Mikie to “call me... (full context)

Mikie and Agnes visit Mary every day, while Dobie sends her a letter and money order... (full context)

...help but think about death, especially how the children will react. She imagines Johnny and Mikie as grown men who find jobs outside of the steel mill and live in houses... (full context)

...that he wields in the mill. A car meets up with Dobie and out pop Mikie and Chuck, Alice’s son. Mikie is sixteen and has grown taller after his years in... (full context)

...and insurance led to Dobie receiving Pauline’s insurance money. The sanitarium had discharged Agnes and Mikie. Agnes went to stay with Anna, while Mikie lived with Dobie in Alice’s house. (full context)

...Canada. He also makes a few trips back to Braddock, once to bid farewell to Mikie before he goes to New York and another time to attend Agnes’s high school graduation. (full context)

...Dobie is overwhelmed by “an endless stream of people for three exhausting days.” His brother, Mikie arrives from New York by train the morning of the funeral. It has been six... (full context)

Mikie expresses disdain for the polluted environment of Braddock. “Even without the mills. I'd forgotten just... (full context)

...visitors have left. There is no food left for dinner, so Julie gives Dobie and Mikie money to go out for steak and French fries. As they walk, Mikie asks Dobie... (full context)

The conversation then turns to work, and Mikie wants to know about Dobie’s union activities and discusses how it feels to be a... (full context)

Dobie tells Mikie that the union still offers potential for a better future, and that he would someday... (full context)

Dobie and Mikie arrive back home and briefly talk about Dobie’s days in Detroit and the quality of... (full context)

...ask for no less from themselves. As he stares into the night, Dobie reflects on Mikie’s wish that a person could pick their place of birth so as not to have... (full context)

Mikie Dobrejcak Character Analysis

Mikie Dobrejcak Quotes in Out of This Furnace

Part 4, Chapter 14 Quotes

Mikie Dobrejcak Character Timeline in Out of This Furnace