She knew from the time she was very little that her future would be in that repressive factory. She was molded into her place from day one. The industry brain-washed everyone into thinking that there was nothing else. They are basically signing over their lives. In feudalism, the feudal lord has a monopoly over all resources, which the people need to survive so they are forced into signing a bondage contract ensuring that they will work for the lord and indirectly signing over their freedom.
Freedom is a key word in a capitalistic system.
All the workers are free to choose, free to make their own decisions, and live in a fashion that will ensue the greatest happiness. America is based on a capitalist means of economics and society, which yields the pursuit of happiness . In such industrial exploitation as was in Matewan and Norma Rae s factory, the pursuit of happiness was only in reach of the owners. As for the workers, they just tried to get through every gut-wrenching day, to survive on the minimal amount the industry thought they could give without losing workers, they just tried to survive. Norma Rae prostituted herself for a steak dinner every once in a while because that was the only luxury she could afford, and she couldn t even buy it with her own money.