Based on the events that happened in Germinal by Zola, Etienne represents the miner’s
best hope. He led the strikes and inspired the miners, helped start a widespread revolution, and
always had the miner’s best interest at heart. Etienne is a young migrant worker who arrives in
Voreux and comes under the influence of Marxist ideas, hoping to spark a revolution and also
take part in a revolt against bourgeois interests. Throughout Germinal, he leads the miners to
strike against the pit owners and management. When he arrived in Voreux, he started working as
a miner and realized the unfair and unsafe working conditions they are put through. He decides
that he has to do something to change their circumstances. Through his rhetoric, he gave hope to
miners and mobilized them to reflect on their daily routines and existence. He is also able to
convince them to strike. Many of the miners, although sick and struggling, accept their
circumstances. As stated in the book, “Étienne summed the matter up: if it was a strike the
Company wanted, then a strike they could have.” (Pg.393). Etienne persuades them to seek out
better lives for themselves. By using such definitive and powerful language, he gave hope to the
miners who had long accepted their fate. By living their lives without hope for change, they had
no means of a new life. However, when Etienne becomes the leader of the strike, he provides
constant and consistent rhetoric of victory, despite their grim circumstances. Etienne also started
a movement that would forever change his fight. “New men were starting into life, a black army
of vengeance slowly germinating in the furrows, growing for the harvests of the century to come;
and soon this germination would tear the earth apart” (Pg. 997). In the very last lines of the
novel, we learn of the effects of his actions. The strike he started resulted in strikes all over
France. His messages of hope led to unions across the country to unite and do what they can to
change their lives. With everything he learned through the strike, he helped make more change
happen throughout France, “In his delight at going to join Pluchart, at going to be Pluchart, a
leader who was listened to, he started making speeches to himself, rehearsing the phrases as he
went” (Pg. 991). Souvarine did not represent a symbol of hope, since unlike Etienne, who sought
to do his best to keep peace, he sabotaged the mine which led to the trapping and death of several
miners. As stated, “The beast had been wounded in its belly, and it remained to be seen whether
it would survive the day. Moreover, he had left his signature: a horrified world would know that
this was no death from natural causes” (Pg. 873). He acted violently to destroy the oppressive
company but also to make sure his actions “left a signature”. His selfish actions proves that he
did care about the wellbeing of the other miners but just to make a point. Rasseneur also did not
represent the miner’s best hope. Although he shared Etienne’s goal of fighting for the miner’s
rights, he was against the strike, advocating for a more moderate approach. “Think it over, my
friends, and you’ll soon see that a strike would be a disaster for everyone concerned”(Pg.458).
As stated in the book, he did not support and thought it would hurt both the company and the
miners. Although he was right and the strike led to violence, he did not represent the miner’s
hope since he was not willing to bring about change as strongly as Etienne did. Throughout the
book, Etienne proves to symbolize the hopes of the miners; he was the one who pushed the
hardest for change. No matter what he faced, his belief that all the miners deserve a better life
kept him and everyone motivated.
best hope. He led the strikes and inspired the miners, helped start a widespread revolution, and
always had the miner’s best interest at heart. Etienne is a young migrant worker who arrives in
Voreux and comes under the influence of Marxist ideas, hoping to spark a revolution and also
take part in a revolt against bourgeois interests. Throughout Germinal, he leads the miners to
strike against the pit owners and management. When he arrived in Voreux, he started working as
a miner and realized the unfair and unsafe working conditions they are put through. He decides
that he has to do something to change their circumstances. Through his rhetoric, he gave hope to
miners and mobilized them to reflect on their daily routines and existence. He is also able to
convince them to strike. Many of the miners, although sick and struggling, accept their
circumstances. As stated in the book, “Étienne summed the matter up: if it was a strike the
Company wanted, then a strike they could have.” (Pg.393). Etienne persuades them to seek out
better lives for themselves. By using such definitive and powerful language, he gave hope to the
miners who had long accepted their fate. By living their lives without hope for change, they had
no means of a new life. However, when Etienne becomes the leader of the strike, he provides
constant and consistent rhetoric of victory, despite their grim circumstances. Etienne also started
a movement that would forever change his fight. “New men were starting into life, a black army
of vengeance slowly germinating in the furrows, growing for the harvests of the century to come;
and soon this germination would tear the earth apart” (Pg. 997). In the very last lines of the
novel, we learn of the effects of his actions. The strike he started resulted in strikes all over
France. His messages of hope led to unions across the country to unite and do what they can to
change their lives. With everything he learned through the strike, he helped make more change
happen throughout France, “In his delight at going to join Pluchart, at going to be Pluchart, a
leader who was listened to, he started making speeches to himself, rehearsing the phrases as he
went” (Pg. 991). Souvarine did not represent a symbol of hope, since unlike Etienne, who sought
to do his best to keep peace, he sabotaged the mine which led to the trapping and death of several
miners. As stated, “The beast had been wounded in its belly, and it remained to be seen whether
it would survive the day. Moreover, he had left his signature: a horrified world would know that
this was no death from natural causes” (Pg. 873). He acted violently to destroy the oppressive
company but also to make sure his actions “left a signature”. His selfish actions proves that he
did care about the wellbeing of the other miners but just to make a point. Rasseneur also did not
represent the miner’s best hope. Although he shared Etienne’s goal of fighting for the miner’s
rights, he was against the strike, advocating for a more moderate approach. “Think it over, my
friends, and you’ll soon see that a strike would be a disaster for everyone concerned”(Pg.458).
As stated in the book, he did not support and thought it would hurt both the company and the
miners. Although he was right and the strike led to violence, he did not represent the miner’s
hope since he was not willing to bring about change as strongly as Etienne did. Throughout the
book, Etienne proves to symbolize the hopes of the miners; he was the one who pushed the
hardest for change. No matter what he faced, his belief that all the miners deserve a better life
kept him and everyone motivated.
