Yonnondio: From the Thirties Lesson Plan

What sort of future does the narrator envision for Andy? What does this passage say about Depression-era coal mining communities?

The narration abruptly changes for a long passage about Andy Kvaternick. The narrator describes the futility and desperation of his home life. With his father gone, he must step up and help the family though he is only thirteen. The narrator warns that Andy, like all miners, will lose his dignity. The intensive work, for little pay; the coal dust lining his throat, asthma his new companion. He will live his life underground, "no more can you stand erect," with rats for friends instead of birds. The narrator reckons that he will either die...