The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal

A Jewish immigrant seamstress who must balance family duty and economic necessity. She defies Sabbath expectations to work and participates in the community’s struggle to survive in America. Her resilience illustrates the personal costs and moral choices faced by workers.

A decisive worker who pushes for unionization and solidarity among his colleagues. He organizes mutual aid on the shop floor and advocates for collective protections against unsafe practices. His leadership underscores the human cost of slow reform.

A newer, ambitious seamstress navigating workplace dynamics and aspiring for a better life. Her interactions reveal the hopes and vulnerabilities of young workers in a precarious environment. She embodies the drive for upward mobility within immigrant labor.

A seamstress and friend of Gina, involved in the social world outside the factory, including a party for Vinnie and herself. Her character highlights the personal aspirations that accompany factory life and the risks workers take for a better future.

A pragmatic seamstress who pursues security through marriage and material comfort. She represents the hopeful pursuit of a different life, while navigating relationships and factory tensions. Her choices reveal the personal stakes behind garment labor.

A mechanic with a roguish charm who flirts with Gina while planning his own future with Connie. His relationship energy contrasts with the harsh realities of shop floor life and foreshadows personal costs of factory life.

A friend who dreams of marrying a millionaire, highlighting social climbing and ambition among the workers. She meets a tragic end on the factory floor, underscoring the dangers of unsafe working conditions.

The foreman who enforces quotas with a heavy hand and represents the owners’ interests. He embodies the pressure on workers and the prioritization of profit over safety.

An older seamstress with aching hands who struggles to meet her daily quota. Lou’s intervention—uniting workers to donate sleeves—shows the communal spirit and the toll of labor on the body.