The speaker stands over the body of Anna Imroth, a factory girl who died in a fire. In a quiet, practical voice, he gives instructions for arranging her hands and legs and for calling a wagon to bring her home. He imagines her mother and siblings crying, but he notes that everyone else made it down safely; Anna simply was not lucky when she jumped. The tone is flat and almost numb, as if death like this is routine. But the last line carries the real feeling: “It is the hand of God and the lack of fire escapes.” That mixture is bitterly ironic. The speaker is not really consoled by religion; he is pointing at a preventable failure. The mood is somber and quiet, but underneath is a cold anger at the owners and the building that failed her.
Anna Imroth — Summary
Cross the hands over the breast here — so. Straighten the legs a little more — so. And call for the wagon to come and take her home. Her mother will cry some and so will her sisters and brothers. But all of the others got down and they are safe and this is the only one of the factory girls who wasn't lucky in making the jump when the fire broke. It is the hand of God and the lack of fire escapes.