Uprising

Bella reflects that she’s never belonged with any group. Even her family in Italy lived on outskirts of town. Now, she stands in solidarity with girls from Poland, Lithuania, and places she’s never heard of. Rahel praises Bella’s enthusiasm forth the strike, saying she might be even more “fervent” (169) than Yette. Bella confesses she has romantic fantasies of dying young. Yette says she cannot die because they need her for the strike. Both girls also confess that they are starting to forget their families for a new life. They feel guilty, but also freed, knowing they have new opportunities in America.

On Christmas, Rocco Luciano knocks on the door and offers a package for Bella. It’s a shirtwaist and skirt from Senor Carlotti. Bella examines the clothes and sees they are of low quality, gifts she would’ve formerly appreciated, but now sees as a cheap effort to buy her off.

She tells Rocco to sell the clothes and give the money to his family for the baby. Rocco says the baby died from whooping cough along with almost all the other babies on the block. Bella sees that Rocco loved the baby. As a tribute to Rocco’s kindness she accepts the gift, along with a penny he offers: the beginning of his “repayment.