“Forever Thinking to Return”: Mary Wilkins Freeman’s <i>The Portion of Labor</i> and the Monster of Capitalism

Abstract Almost every scholar who has turned their attention to Mary Wilkins Freeman’s The Portion of Labor has struggled with the conclusion of the novel. These responses point to a shared impression: that the reader has been let down by the revolutionary heroine, Ellen Brewster. This article demonstrates that reading The Portion of Labor as a Gothic text allows scholars to better appreciate Freeman’s skill. The interplay between Gothic elements and commentary on industrialization suggests that Ellen’s narrative is an allegory where capitalism is a monster that devours all in its path. Through analyzing Ellen’s kidnapping as a child and her failed strike for better wages as an adult, as well as her romantic choices, this article argues that her narrative reflects a working-class fear of losing one’s identity and being assimilated into the capitalist system. By giving the reader a revolutionary character in the form of Ellen Brewster and then dismantling her, Freeman suggests that capitalism forces everyone, even the most stubborn reformers, to compromise their principles.