In many works of literature, an author may make their works somewhat autobiographical. They may do this in order to make a specific work unique. This may also be done in order to bring out a particular point or fact. There are several stories in which the author uses this technique, to show the public how they had to deal with the issues of class, racism, gender, and religion.
             One such author was Emile Zola. He used his talents to show how dark the years during the Second Empire, in France were. In "Germinal," Zola used his characters' lives to depict the pain and suffering that the majority of France's lower class went through.
             The French society, during this time, could be compared to s feudal society. There was a hierarchy amongst the citizens. The lower class people would work in the mines. The upper class folks would own such mines.
             The picture of society was miserable. The workers were underpaid; the living conditions were in humane. The only escape the workers had was when they would turn to drinking. Their children were malnutrition. The women were trapped by debt.
             The workers had to mine for coal. They were given a particular amount of money, bread, and somewhat shelter. When the owners of the mine decided to cut wages, the workers began to revolt. They put up a strike, in order to get better wages and more food.
             Zola's characters gain a sense of pride and respect for themselves. They are able to stand up to the wealthy landowners. He himself became a worker in the mine. He was just slightly more intelligent than his co-workers. This allowed him to have pity for them.
             He was able to tell, from his own point of view, not just the poor working conditions in northern France, but tell of the injustice of the entire working class. To boot, the reader was able to see the conflicts between the labor and the capital. Due to his work, Zola helped pave the way for labor unions, n...