David Von Drehle's Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, a book written by journalist, David Von Drehle, is a historical work that told the story of the infamous fire that took place at a shirtwaist factory in New York City in 1911. the days before the fire, the day of the fire, as well as the trials and aftermath are all covered in chronological order. David Von Drehle’s main argument is that the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory changed the future of America. He successfully proved his point by organizing the book in a certain way that provided a variety of sources, perspectives, and facts that make it clear to the reader that the future of the United States changed because of the Triangle fire.

The novel is based around different people that took

For example, at the beginning of the book, a girl, who we would later learn was present in the Triangle fire, was introduced when she was attending a workers’ union meeting. There, the reader learns a little more about her background. Then, the author changes viewpoints the reader learns about their experiences. For example, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, the bosses of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, were included in the story to provide details of events from their point of view. They discuss how they welcomed a reporter from the Times to prove that the workers going on strike were unable to stop a healthy production line (Drehle 53). The author would not have been able to successfully prove his argument without taking information and quotes from witnesses of both sides. Along with the bosses, Drehle uses character, Clara Lemlich, to shed light on the viewpoint of the factory worker, as well as union member. He starts the novel by introducing her, saying that she was a strike organizer who worked at Louis Leiserson’s factory as a draper, a person who crafted the shirtwaists (Drehle 6). These are just two examples of characters from different backgrounds that offer opposing viewpoints that work to prove the author’s