Mary Burke

Hal Warner

Hal and Mary share a deep romantic bond, with Mary serving as both a love interest and a moral anchor for Hal amidst the coal mine conflicts.

Joe Smith

Joe Smith is Mary Burke's father, a miner who shares her concern for justice and supports her relationship with Hal.

Hal Warner

Hal and Mary share a deep romantic bond, with Mary serving as both a love interest and a moral anchor for Hal amidst the coal mine conflicts.

Hal Warner

Hal and Mary share a deep romantic bond, with Mary serving as both a love interest and a moral anchor for Hal amidst the coal mine conflicts.

Joe Smith

Joe Smith is Mary Burke's father, a miner who shares her concern for justice and supports her relationship with Hal.

Book I: The Domain of King Coal

Emerges as a leader among the miners.

VII

The Irish girl with auburn hair and grey eyes, taking in the wash, engages Hal in a poetic conversation.

VIII

Mary introduces herself as 'Red Mary,' displays fierce pride and defiance, and expresses hatred for North Valley.

Chapter X

Mentioned as one of the individuals etching into Hal's picture, moving him to sympathy and fellowship.

XII

Hosts Hal, shares her passion for books, and expresses hopelessness about her life in the coal camp.

XIII

Reveals her father's alcoholism and her hatred for O'Callahan; discusses the systemic causes of drinking in the mining camp.

Chapter XVIII

Teases Hal about living with Italians; boldly speaks the word 'union' in the Rafferty home, defying the camp's silence.

XIX

Mary confides in Hal about the constant sexual advances from bosses and the pressure on her father, revealing her frustration and the camp's moral decay.

Chapter XXIII

Visits the Minettis with custard for the sick baby, adopts a cheerful 'company manner' and teases Hal about his work and appearance.

Chapter XXIV

Pleads with Hal to quit mining; confesses her despair and entrapment in poverty; asks Hal to take her away, then is hurt when he refuses.

XXVIII

Mentioned as someone who speaks scornfully of the workers, contrasting with Olson's faith in them.

Book II: The Serfs of King Coal

Mary emerges as a voice of rebellion, challenging the company's authority.

Chapter II

Expresses skepticism about organizing the men, but is drawn into Hal's plans; appears paler and thinner.

III

Reveals her despair and fierce love for the miners; she guides Hal to John Edstrom.

IV

Voices corrosive despair about change; argues with Edstrom's ant metaphor.

VIII

Attends the meeting but is in a pessimistic mood, which frustrates Hal.

IX

Warns Hal against violent retaliation, advocating self-control and caution. Her intervention teaches Hal a lesson in pride and leadership.

XVI

Hal recalls Mary Burke's pessimism about the workers, which gnaws at his soul as he contemplates the bosses' contempt.

XXVII

Informs Hal about the danger; physically restrains him and argues for caution.

XXVIII

Suffers hysterical weeping after witnessing the women's grief, especially Mrs. Zamboni's; she feels the future is hopeless and cannot imagine happiness after such sights.

XXIX

Lures Hal away from Number Two to avoid conflict; witnesses the disaster's aftermath.

The Torturing Suspense

Worn out from the disaster, confronts Hal about his identity and her feelings, expressing her despair and longing for a better life.

XXXI

Mary confesses her love to Hal, proposing a relationship without marriage or commitment, and pleads with him to take her away from the camp.

XXXII

Helps by taking Hal's envelope of money to the post office for John Edstrom.

VIII

Implied as the redheaded Irish girl in the slander.

Chapter XXIV

Mary is distraught over the treatment of women in the camp and becomes acutely aware of her own appearance and social standing when meeting Jessie.

Chapter XXV

Observes Hal's departure with Jessie; her voice is hard and cold, indicating her disappointment.

Book IV: The Will of King Coal

Emerges as a leader among the miners, advocating for their rights and challenging the company's tyranny.

I

Sought by Hal to help with the injured list but is absent and deliberately avoiding him.

IV

Leads the crowd with a fiery speech, calling for a union and a strike; described as a Joan of Arc-like figure with a glory in her face.

V

Mary's speech is cut short when the crowd moves toward the hospital.

Chapter VI

Called by Hal to serve on the committee to stay with the sick miners.

VIII

Returns from the hospital, reports on injured miners signing releases, and is added to the delegation to Cartwright.

IX

Insists Hal is needed at the critical moment; Hal praises her argumentative skills.

XIII

Mary is among the committee members forcibly taken by the company's gunmen.

XIX

Part of the kidnapped committee heading to Pedro; described as a 'Joan of Arc of the coal-camps'.

XXI

Silent and furious at the failure, but ultimately suggests using a widow's veil to infiltrate the camp.

XXII

Helps adjust Hal's disguise and stays behind to answer the door.

XXVI

Mary is present upstairs with Moylan and Hartman, eager to hear Hal's story.

XXVII

Mary retracts her earlier offer to go away with Hal, expressing bitterness about class differences and her encounter with Jessie Arthur.

Chapter XXVIII

Delivers a passionate monologue about class oppression, her hatred for Jessie Arthur, and her commitment to the labor struggle.

Chapter XXIX

Accompanies Hal, holds Edstrom's hand, and expresses passionate sympathy.

Farewells and Promises

Shows unwavering cheerfulness despite hardship, accepts help for Edstrom, and declares herself a unionist.