The Long Loneliness

When Day gets back from the protests in Washington, a man, Peter Maurin, is waiting for her in her apartment. The man looks like the workers that she has been following in DC. He tells her that the editor of The Commonweal told him to see her, as well as an Irish Communist in Union Square, who had told him that he and Day have similar thought processes. Peter Maurin is French, and still has his accent, even though he has been in the States for 20 years. He was born in a small agrarian village, raised Catholic, and is one of 23 children. Maurin came to the US in 1911. When he thinks of the “worker,” he is always thinking of the agrarian worker. In contrast, Day always thinks of factory workers. Maurin is “intensely alive” and always engaged (169). He is fascinated by ideas and theory. Lenin has said that a theory has to accompany a revolution, and thus, Maurin is very interested in developing a theory for a green revolution.

In keeping with this revolution, Maurin wants to create a newspaper to broadcast his ideas. The paper would cost 1 cent, so that even the poorest worker can buy it.