The Fruit of the Tree

"The Fruit of the Tree" by Edith Wharton is a story set in an industrial world at the beginning of the 1900s that looks at the relationships between the people who run the factories and the people who work in them. John Amherst, who is in charge at Westmore Mills, is the main character, and the story follows him. The book explores ideas about what is fair in society, who is responsible for what, and the hard lives of working-class people. One example is Dillon, a mill worker who gets hurt. Also important is Justine Brent, a young nurse. When the story starts, Justine is at Hope Hospital, taking care of Dillion, who was hurt in an accident at the factory. The mood is serious because Dillon is very upset to find out how badly he is hurt. John Amherst comes to the hospital to learn more about what happened to Dillon. This shows that he cares about the health of the people who work at the mills. Their talk shows how the hospital workers and the mill managers are connected. This gives a preview of how the book will point out problems in factories and how the characters' lives are intertwined with these problems.