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Max Schmeling
Mr. Henderson is a friend of Mr. Malone and the husband of Mrs. Henderson. He is one of the few Black men in Gary with a stable job working in the steel mills, but his job is dreadful and dangerous. He climbs into the furnaces while they’re still hot to clean and service them. The heat and fumes overcome most men, and “Steel Lungs” earns his name by being able to stay in the furnaces longer than everyone else. After an accident capsizes the boat on which he, Mr. Malone, Carlos, and Hank have gone fishing, Mr. Malone becomes paranoid and delusional and attacks Mr. Malone. Mr. Malone kills him in self-defense.
Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson Quotes in The Mighty Miss Malone
The The Mighty Miss Malone quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson or refer to Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
The man said in a hoarse voice, “My Darling Daughter Detha, don’t you recognithe your Deareth Delightful Daddy?"
I looked again.
The man’s voice was rough and hacky, like Father’s after a long night of coughing, but Father never had such a bad lisp.
He was too small to be my father. He was bony and scraggly-looking.
[…]
Jimmie ran onto the porch.
The poor hobo reached out his hand and mumbled, “My Genuine Gentle, Jumpin’ Giant, Jimmie!”
Jimmie’s face hardened. “My Fine, Friendly Father Figure?”
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Chapter 14
Quotes
Maybe it’s because the story is so sad. But Father always tells us, “There’s a thin blurry line between humor and tragedy.” When he was working regular at the mill he’d told me and Jimmie, “I’ll give each of you one whole nickel for every joke you find that isn’t cloaked in pain or tragedy.”
We’d tried as hard as we could to earn a nickel but couldn’t come up with a single joke that didn’t have someone getting killed or hurt or made fun of or embarrassed or mocked.
Father told us, “And the more tragic something is, the more jokes you’ll find about it.”
I couldn’t think of anything more tragic than what happened to those poor men out on Lake Michigan, yet Father’s story didn’t have one smile or laugh in it.
And no alliteration. Something wasn’t right.
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Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson Quotes in The Mighty Miss Malone
The The Mighty Miss Malone quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson or refer to Mr. Steve “Steel Lung” Henderson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
The man said in a hoarse voice, “My Darling Daughter Detha, don’t you recognithe your Deareth Delightful Daddy?"
I looked again.
The man’s voice was rough and hacky, like Father’s after a long night of coughing, but Father never had such a bad lisp.
He was too small to be my father. He was bony and scraggly-looking.
[…]
Jimmie ran onto the porch.
The poor hobo reached out his hand and mumbled, “My Genuine Gentle, Jumpin’ Giant, Jimmie!”
Jimmie’s face hardened. “My Fine, Friendly Father Figure?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
Maybe it’s because the story is so sad. But Father always tells us, “There’s a thin blurry line between humor and tragedy.” When he was working regular at the mill he’d told me and Jimmie, “I’ll give each of you one whole nickel for every joke you find that isn’t cloaked in pain or tragedy.”
We’d tried as hard as we could to earn a nickel but couldn’t come up with a single joke that didn’t have someone getting killed or hurt or made fun of or embarrassed or mocked.
Father told us, “And the more tragic something is, the more jokes you’ll find about it.”
I couldn’t think of anything more tragic than what happened to those poor men out on Lake Michigan, yet Father’s story didn’t have one smile or laugh in it.
And no alliteration. Something wasn’t right.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
