The non-fiction book Nickel and Dimed, written by Barbara Ehrenreich, expressed the harsh reality of American poverty from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The idea had begun as a discussion between her and an editor, who suggested the idea to her around the time that welfare reform was becoming set into place, yet, she was originally unsure, due to the fact that her own parents suffered from actual poverty. Also, she was unaware of whether or not she was capable enough to handle it too, yet she had soon managed to overcome the fear and venture towards the idea. The journalist attempted the life of a minimum-wage worker in order to uncover how these people managed their lives on such miserable accommodations and pay. She established parameters …show more content…
As an associate, she stated that “In orientation, we learned that the store’s success depends entirely on us, the associate; in fact, our bright blue vests bear the statement ‘At Wal-Mart, our people make the difference.’ Underneath those vests, though, there are real-life charity cases, maybe even shelter dwellers” (175, Ehrenreich). The staff, she declared, had a life beyond their jobs, which was a piece of information that became overlooked continually. She claims that these people who happen to make a difference may also be in need themselves. Ehrenreich emphasizes that “What you don’t necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you’re actually selling is your life” (187, Ehrenreich). She noted that working is considered as an offering, and not just of your time, but of your existence. She implied the idea that life had a lot more to it than choosing to spend it working on jobs that created additional amounts of frustration. Again, she supported this statement by adding, “When someone works for less pay than she can live on- when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently- then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, her life” (221, Ehrenreich). Without these everyday …show more content…
She elaborated on her discovery that no matter how substantial the endeavors of someone were, they would undergo the distress that was attributed to a minimum-wage worker regardless. These attributes served as fixed inconveniences that made it practically impossible for many to progress further. The negative aspects of working in the bottom of the economic hierarchy were that the pricing of accommodations made it difficult to climb up. It is easily unattainable, she concluded, to be able to maintain life while facing poverty. By the end of her investigation, she made the observation that these underpaid laborers tolerated much strain to achieve their aspirations. Although in society, some of these occupations may be viewed down upon, Ehrenreich believed that these jobs were nevertheless difficult. Lastly, Ehrenreich also pointed out the unfairness of the economic system towards the poor, since she observed that workers could not afford certain things such as healthcare, and this would become a fault to their own expense since they would be forced to pay for medication if they could not afford healthcare. This discovery had led to her idea that the less fortunate suffered from costs that have caused them to continuously remain poor. The overall experiment held in Nickel and Dimed, however, proved that the American lower-working class endured