Shirley Themes

Shirley Themes

Social problems

The theme of social problems of the time probably is the most vivid one. There is the revolt of local workers, as the owners of the factories started getting machines, so hand work was not required anymore and an amount of unemployed grew everyday. Surely the owners of factory had to step with the revolution in equipment development as it made them less expense and machines need no salaries to be paid. But as for people it was a real disaster, as they had no work, consequently no money to feed their families. Revolts among people were not rare, but no matter how they tried technique progress took place. Robert Moore is the one who faces all the difficulties of that time, but being a strong, determined and resolute person he managed to overcome all the problems and made his factory prosper.

Love

Though the novel is considered a love story, the theme of love is not so vividly depicted, it serves more as a background for the rest of the events. Caroline’s love for Robert and Shirley’s love for Louis are the two love lines of the novel. These are two completely different lines of love, as the heroines are completely opposite personalities.

Friendship

Friendship between Caroline and Shirley quickly took place: they became close friends, shared opinions and dreamed of joint travel. However, they never opened their hearts to each other, and their love was a subject of their own concern

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