On The Poverty in Nickel and Dimed

Zhang Zichan

【Abstract】Barbara Ehrenreichs Nickel and Dimed investigates the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the working poor in the United States. It vividly shows the life of the working class who are trying to make ends meet. The books also reflects social issues that are closely related to the working class. This paper will focus on one of the big issues that has been brought about through the characters lives-- Poverty.

【Key words】Nickel and Dimed； Poverty； Economy； Barbara Ehrenreich； Working Class

【作者簡介】张子婵，女，硕士，天津财经大学珠江学院公共英语系，教师，主要研究方向：第二语言习得。

A lot people may think there should be a bright future for the poor if the economy is more developed. I used to believe the poor could definitely benefit from the booming economy， just like America， seemingly full of well-paid people having a wonderful time. “The poor” might mean those people who cant afford a family car， those who dont have their own apartment， and who dont travel around.

Barbara Ehrenreich， however， took me into the unforgettable real-world struggles of the working poor， shook me out of comfortable illusion that I ever had a clue as to how what it meant to be poor in America—the most recognized economic power. The truth was that I would never fully understand what it was to live in real poverty than I would know what it is to be gay， paraplegic or male. What I did have， however， was the presence of mind to know that I did not know： poverty exists in all countries in this world. No matter how powerful and rich a country is and no matter how prosperous the economy is， poverty is still there like a naughty kid never growing up.

The story in Nickel and Dimed took place during a so-called economic boom in American history， the period of “peace and prosperity” in late 1990s. The courageous and brazen writer decided to start her low-wage life with a belief of any job equals a better life in this country， which is the superpower and has the established social welfare system. However， at the beginning in Key West， she quickly learned that one waitressing job didnt cover the rent. She took a second job and lived in a trailer in “a nest of crime and crack”. In Minnesota， once again， Ehrenreich sets her hopes on a new idealized slice of the country. Once again， those hopes meet with a rude dose of reality. Ehrenreich tried and failed to make ends meet.

I feel heartbroken as Enrenreich revealed the triumphs， challenges and humiliations that were endured by people barely subsisting on 50-70 hours a week of back-breaking work. As we know， millions of Americans work full-time， year-round， for poverty-level wages. What is worse， not only are the ranks of the hard-working poor ignored and unacknowledged by mainstream society， but also they pay a high price for their self-sufficiency. I realized the truth that Ehrenreich told us： “There are no secret economies that nourish the poor； on the contrary， there are a host of special costs.” （Ehrenreich， 2001， 27）

I was trying to find out why this was. Finally， I came up with several reasons why we were in the unfortunate situation.“Most civilized nations compensate for the inadequacy of wages by providing relatively generous public services such as health insurance， free or subsidized child care， subsidized housing and effective transportation， ” Ehrenreich says. “ But the United States， for all its wealth， leaves its citizens to fend for themselves” （Ehrenreich， 2001， 214）. There is no denying that with the fast development of the economy， the social welfare expense was increased in some areas. The poor， to some extent， benefit a little bit from this. However， it is far from the real improvement of living standards of the poor people. Moreover， “Full-time posts are over-protected and generous welfare benefits act as a minimum wage” （www.ecocn.org）. Other social benefits， from housing subsidies to free school meals， were also reduced or withdrawn as the additional income. In fact， the additional income cannot pay the reduced benefits. Price increases with the booming economies as well as the cost of health care， education and housing. So we see that the poor make it without such benefits— far below a living expenditure. The comforting economy failed even under those boom conditions： “a rising tide does not lift all boats” （Burns， 1960， 75）. Now we have entered a downward prospect.

The booming economy cant nourish the poor. Not to mention the sluggish economy which has devastating effects in virtually every country， rich and poor. Some people may say the poor can benefit from the decline in prices. However， the increasing of the unemployment and the decreasing of personal income come together with the price decline during the depression. For example， in 1933 Great Depression， a quarter Americans who wanted to work was unable to find a job. Large numbers of people lived in poverty， desperately in need of more food， clothing， and shelter. Yet the resources that could produce those things were sitting idle， producing nothing.

As far as I am concerned， a key issue why “there are no secret economies that nourish the poor” is inequality and lack of rights in this society. Ehrenreich （2001） argues， “not just an economy but a culture of extreme inequality”（P212）. Inequality has been a problem in all societies no matter what the economy is like. That no society distributes income evenly makes the income gap and the income gap makes the poor and the rich. The poor are poorer and the rich are richer with the inequality persisting. What is worse， people are more interested in pursuing economic growth rather than the redistribution of income. As a result， the poor and the rich are hereditary. Our most appropriate response， as members of the well-meaning middle-class， is not guilty， she tells us， but ashamed， “for relying on the underpaid labor” （Ehrenreich， 2001， 212）.

For those that are in poor work and economic situations， many members of society consider them lazy， unmotivated， and blame-worthy for their plight. Ehrenreich comments that “maybe when I got into the project， I would discover some hidden economies in the world of the low-wage worker” （Ehrenreich， 2001， 3）. Clearly， it is hard to know all of the struggles， burdens， and problems that exist until one has experienced the working conditions with which low-wage employees must deal daily. So people in a comfortable socioeconomic position may not realize that there is a current problem with workers rights. The economy- （simple supply and demand） requires that American companies have a pool of built-up labor waiting to guard against worker strikes and walk-offs. This built-up labor pool keeps the labor cost. A person works multiple jobs， seven days a week， and just barely make ends meet. While performing work that is emotionally， physically， and mentally draining for hours and days on end， he can barely afford his rent， adequate food， and proper health care. Working to survive with such horrible working conditions is draining on both time and energy. We can imagine how difficult it would be to change the situation they are stuck in.

The working class sometimes lacks the knowledge to notice and the support to respond to their situation and how the ways of our society foster an environment that promotes poverty. We began to neglect the rights of workers. I would say this existed thousands of years when the enslaved people were essential workers whose rights to fair wages， hours， and treatment were all being denied. Because of how abusive people were to their employees from the very beginning， we were not surprised by the state in which we found ourselves today.

It is clear that equality， workers rights and basic human rights in general are being denied daily in the society to low-wage workers， which creates the destructive cycle of poverty. Even though we are in the advanced-economy times. Nothing is changed.

We will never improve the poverty without the awareness of the fundamental problem lies in the issue. The economy is not truly developed with the existence of poverty. Then society will never be comprehensively prosperous. So I think it is important to “empower” people and help them to understand their situation and their rights. Giving money toward a problem such as donation to the poor or passing legislation can start the ball rolling in the right direction， but it is going to take more than just these aspects to achieve social change and combat injustice. What we need to help people in the working poor is to develop leadership， and understand that they can do to make a definite transformation toward the problems that exist. We need to see efforts for education investment and development， and concrete action behind the money being given and the laws being passed to help foster positive progress and change for labor justice not only in a general sense， but also social and economic justice.

References：

[1]Ehrenreich，Barbara（2001）.Nickel and Dimed，Wheeler Pub Inc.

[2]Burns，J.M，（1960）.John F.Kennedy：A Political Profile，Harcourt， Brace：New York.