“The Fighter” Versus the “Townie”

Who is the true “Pride of Lowell”? Who brings Lowell from the depths of poverty and ruins to the up and coming, soon to be booming city that it is? When I think of the “Pride of Lowell,” two tough and influential men come to mind. Andre Dubus III was a young man who grew up in poverty and a divided home, yet he was able to fight his way to the top of his profession and to the top of Lowell. On the other hand, there is Micky Ward, a middle aged boxer who turns his losing streak into one of the greatest boxing stories of all time.

Andre Dubus III had a rough life growing up and it all started with the divorce of his parents. He only saw his dad every once in a while because of the separation and his mom was constantly working in order to put food on the table. Things at school were just as hard for the Dubus children because they all had problems with drugs, alcohol, or just plain old bullies. After one last fight, Andre had enough of losing and decided it was up to him to protect his family. He ate properly, became fit and strong, and managed to fight back. This was Andre’s real start in life. He continued to write, like his father did, for the rest of his life and though he fought and had a reputation he pursued his love of writing. He was able to climb and fight his way to the top of Lowell and is now a well known author making the people of Lowell very proud.

Micky Ward is the other candidate for the true “Pride of Lowell” title. Micky also grew up in a chaotic house with one older brother and many sisters. His mother rare tried to do what was best for Micky at times, while his dad put a little more effort into looking out for his youngest son. Micky, just like his brother, started boxing at a young age. As he got older, he got stronger and tougher. He could take a punch as if he was being flicked and then swing back even harder. At the start of his professional boxing career, Micky was on a bad streak where he just could not win a match. However, once he changed his loyalty from his mother to a new manager, it all began to change. Micky started winning and even had a shot for the title. The championship match was an extremely entertaining spectacle and it was even more incredible when Micky Ward came out on top. He did it! He became the boxing champion of the world and truly put the city of Lowell on the map for all to see. In The Fighter, Micky’s brother Dicky gives him the title of the “Pride of Lowell” and talks about how everyone is so proud of him.

            Therefore, who is the “Pride of Lowell”? I believe both these exceptional men can share the title. Andre and Micky grow up in one of the worst neighborhoods around and with difficult family situations. The only difference between them and the rest of the children growing up in the same era and same situations is that they made it to the top of their own professions. Andre, an author, and Micky, a boxer, changed how the world looks at the city of Lowell and for that reason I consider them both the Pride of Lowell.      

                         

   

  

Above are four significant pictures and from left to right they are: the real life Micky Ward, the cover to the novel Townie written by Andre Dubus III, then in the middle is Andre Dubus III, and on the bottom are two Hollywood actors that stared in the movie The Fighter and they played Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale). 

Boott Cotton Mills

“What could you do with a bale of cotton?”

Considering the lives of those who worked at the Boott Cotton Mill, the local communities tied to the mills, and the way American society and the larger economy benefited from their toil, there are two different arguments that can be made in the favor of either the Jeffersonian or the Hamiltonian position. Moreover, the Jeffersonian argument is for a more agrarian-based economy while the Hamiltonian side argues for an economy country that wields much of its power from the industrial enterprise.

The life of a mill worker was absolutely horrendous compared to jobs today. A mill worker had to be up bright and early for work which would last all day, no matter the weather conditions. The women and children of Lowell that worked within the walls of the Boott Cotton Mill not only had terrible conditions while on duty but their lives were just as bad during their off hours. The mill workers would go in to work in the morning and use the sunlight as their clock in order to work as many hours as they could because the sun was the only light in the mill. Also, though they worked to get paid, the wages were very, very small and about half of their pay per week was taken out for the housing provided to them by the mill and for food which was basically paying for the mill workers’ meal plans. To make matters worse, the mill buildings were full of heavy, loud, and obnoxious machinery while steam was continuously pumped into the rooms to help produce better quality cotton fabric. This in turn caused for a much more humid, smelly, and dangerous work place.

             

Boott Cotton Mills: Main building with over one-hundred loom machines.

            The Jeffersonian argument is for a more agrarian-based economy which means that supporters of Jefferson would want to have the entire industry of the country be dependent on agriculture. If the entire country was to be reliant on agriculture instead of industrial means to make a profit then people who live in places like the northeast would be out of jobs. In a location where the weather has too much of a poor effect on the wildlife, people would not be able to participate in the agricultural economy. Sun and a sufficient amount of water are needed for proper plant growth and the northern part of the country cannot produce certain products because of the fall and winter months.

            On the other hand, the Hamiltonian argument is for an economy country that yields much of its power from the industrial enterprise. This way of life would allow for many new jobs, faster income, and a lot more profit. Since machines can work twice as fast as people and never stop to take a break, it seems logical to have an industrial economy. Although people have a higher chance of getting hurt or shortening their life span, this type of economy will give men, woman, and children jobs all over the country. However, the agricultural economy mainly exists in the south and not in the north so not as many families will be able to work.

            I believe in compromising and using both types of industry. Although each argument has pros and cons, if just the pros of each were to be looked at and the country worked together then the good aspects would far out way the bad and the entire United States of America would prosper. Some cons (shown below) are of course serious problems but the positive benefits of jobs and money certainly come out on top. Therefore, the north should expand into the industrial enterprise while the south expands in the agrarian based economy. This will allow for the most profit and least amount of unemployment in the country.   

              

Above is a picture of a dam connecting one of the canals  Above is the water runoff that

to the Merrimack River. However, since the mills have     dumps back into the Merrimack          

been shut down and the canal is no longer in use, the dam River.

looks a bit run down.

Both of these pictures represent two of the cons in the compromise.

P.S.

            My Favorite part of the Boott Cotton Mill tour was when we had a model that represented the Merrimack River and, just as the mills were created in the past along the canals in Lowell, we too had to create our own mills and canals between the thirty-two foot elevation difference between the river in the north and in the south. Using the mills and canals, with bolts and dams, we were able to set up a way to harness all of the water energy that the Merrimack River is able to give off. Below is a picture of the set up created by myself and three other students. The blue and white tunneling represents the river while the black valves are canals and the red and clear structures are mills.