Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Overcoming the monster
Anticipation Stage and 'Call'
Chapter 10 gives us description after description of the willingness of capitalists to overwork employees before we get to its sixth section, which depicts the struggle to reform the factories through legislation. At that point, the brutal conditions of work under the Factory Act of 1833 are laid out (10.6.4), and we're soon told the workers are aiming to get the working day down to ten hours: the Ten Hours' Bill is their rallying cry (10.6.10). That could be considered the 'call' in Booker's lingo.
Dream Stage
We get some good news pretty quickly. The landed interests are speaking out against the industrialists (10.6.10). The Factory Act of 7 June 1844 institutes some regulations in the workers' interest (10.6.11-13).
Frustration Stage
The workers manage to get a Ten Hours' Act enforced on May 1, 1848 (10.6.20), but their leaders are imprisoned, their ranks lessened, and the manufacturers are violating the spirit of the law (10.6.23-26).
Nightmare Stage
The capitalists seem to win: the Court of Exchequer in February 1850 basically negates the Ten Hours' Act (10.6.32). But this prompts the workers to rebel (10.6.33). Their meetings and protests seriously threaten the capitalists.
The Thrilling Escape from Death, and Death of the Monster
Victory. The Factory Act of 1850 is passed (10.6.34). This brings down the length of the working day for young persons and women to 12 hours—from 6AM to 6PM—with 1.5 hours off for properly scheduled meals, which leaves about 10 hours of work. Men have to work at the same time as children, basically, so their working day is limited, too.