Final answer:
The description of the characters' actions in the provided text suggests that they are facing difficult and challenging working conditions in the factory. The correct answer is option (c).
Step-by-step explanation:
The author's description of the characters' actions in lines 23-26 suggests that the characters are facing difficult and challenging working conditions. This is evidenced by the grim presentation of the factory environment, where the air and water are polluted, and the people are depicted as physically and spiritually oppressed by their work. The novella draws a comparison between the degradation of nature and the plight of the workers, indicating a broader criticism of industrial society's impact on both human welfare and the environment. Further historical context informs us that factory workers during the Industrial Revolution endured lengthy hours, often in hazardous and overcrowded environments, and with little regard for their health or safety, reflecting a widespread disregard for their well-being in favor of profit and productivity.
Additional historical references such as William Blake's 'satanic mills' and Charles Dickens' novels such as Hard Times and Oliver Twist reinforce the notion that factory working conditions were dire. Legislation for worker safety lagged far behind, even as industrialization stripped workers of control over their working conditions, constraining them to regimented, dangerous, and monotonous labor.
The detailed descriptions of long, exhausting work days, monotonous repetitive tasks, and strict punitive measures for tardiness underline the extreme nature of the industrial work environment. Life in the mills was characterized by exploitative labor practices such as excessive working hours, low wages, and restricted rights, starkly contrasting with the previously more autonomous work of artisans and farmers.