Miss Henderson is Ona's supervisor at the meatpacking factory. She also runs a brothel downtown, where many of Ona's coworkers work as prostitutes. Miss Henderson resents Ona's respectable lifestyle, and she and her subordinates treat Ona hostilely. Furthermore, Miss Henderson appears to be complicit in Phil Connor's sexual exploitation of Ona.
Miss Henderson Quotes in The Jungle
The The Jungle quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Henderson or refer to Miss Henderson. 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:
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Dover Publications edition of The Jungle published in 2001.
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
It was all—it was their plot—Miss Henderson's plot. She hated me. And [Phil Connor]—he wanted me. He used to speak to me—out on the platform. Then he began to—to make love to me. He offered me money. He begged me—he said he loved me. Then he threatened me. He knew all about us, he knew we would starve. He knew your boss—he knew Marija's. He would hound us to death, he said—then he said if I would—if I —we would all of us be sure of work—always. Then one day he caught hold of me—he would not let go—he—he—
Related Characters:
Ona Lukoszaite (speaker), Jurgis Rudkus, Ona Lukoszaite, Marija Berczynskas, Phil Connor, Miss Henderson
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Miss Henderson Character Timeline in The Jungle
The timeline below shows where the character Miss Henderson appears in The Jungle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
Ona is also disliked and mistreated by her forelady, Miss Henderson . She learns that Miss Henderson and the other girls dislike her because she is...
(full context)
Chapter 15
...of work if she did not sleep with him. He has been taking her to Miss Henderson's downtown house regularly, and is physically abusive.
(full context)