Saturday, April 19, 2008
Impressions of Nickel and Dimed
After reading a few chapters, what do you think of the book? Overall, how realistic does the book seem so far? Do think her experiences of being homeless in Key West and Portland have been close to the lives of real homeless people? How do you think her life has changed? Can you connect or relate to Ehrenreich at any moment in the book? Was there an event or moment from the book that triggered any kind of emotion with you? And finally, what is something you would have done differently than Ehrenrich?
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Nickel and Dimed is an interesting story to me. I find it both intriguing and fascinating that a woman of such high class and stature would consider working low wage jobs to compare the earnings to the costs of living. This is true research. Getting involved and experiencing difficulties and failures first hand is how a person can truly speak about the hardships of living off of low wages. I give her respect for enduring and being willing to go above and beyond to see how these people live.
However, although the picture of how hard it is to make ends meet off of low wage earnings is portrayed, there are still significant struggles which are not shown nor mentioned. Barbara Ehrenreich has security funds stored away. She was several hundreds of dollars as emergency money, money that can be used to get an apartment, pay first months rent and a security deposit. She has extra money to the point where has the resources to start out. Many people do not even have this. Many people start from nothing, with no money for first months rent, security deposits, or anything else. People struggle to get jobs let alone save money. Her difficulties only go so far. Whereas she explores maintaining an affordable home with a sufficient place of employment, people explore getting a home with no money or a job.
Also, her struggles only included herself. Many people have families which consist of several children, which add to the burdens of living off of low wage earnings. Real homeless people have so much more on their plates to worry about. Her struggles with taking care of herself does not compare to taking care of 3 and 4 other people as well. Although Ehrenreich has become aware of the struggles and needs of lower class people, she has only experienced a piece of the problem. She can now empathize with people rather than merely sympathize. It is one thing to know that people struggle and show care and concern, but it is another to know first hand what these people go through on a daily basis. This has changed her as a person. The things that people go through just to get by are things in which she could have never imagined a person going through, just to keep food on the table or a steady source of income, which isn’t enough to begin with.
I was not emotionally attached at any moment in the book. I am aware that people struggle everyday. Homelessness and poverty is an issue everywhere in today’s society. Furthermore, I think that she should have not had security funds and emergency money because real life people who struggle do not have this. They start from nothing in hope of attaining something. This would have stimulated more empathy with people and a true knowing of what it’s like to go through poverty.
Overall, I really like this book. I think that it is a great experiment that is being done for the right reasons. When I say that it is being done for the right reasons, I mean that this experiment to see how low class citizens live is not being done to exploit all of the terrible traits and characteristics that these people have. She wants to see how they manage to live and survive on minimum wage. I really like this idea and find it intriguing because I think that there is a lot to learn from the lower class. Also, I see a lot of focus on the rich and their wealth and I think that both sides of the financial spectrum need to be looked at. I think that even though there are a lot of variables in her studies, that she does put effort into setting up rules and making constants to get more real information. I like that she puts a limit on how bad she will let the circumstances get, because she does not want to cross the boundary between lower class and homeless and this helps to also reduce the amount of variables that she has to deal with, along with the huge amount of information that she gets. I do not think she is ever really homeless because of the fact that she does have the means to pick up and go back to her real home in Florida. Also, he always finds a place to live that she can afford. For her, it is not about not being able to pay for it, it is try to find affordable rent that she can fit into her budget.
I think that the biggest thing that changes is her personality. The way she writes about her experiences becomes more hostile as her situation gets increasingly worse and her problems create more problems. She becomes harder on herself and others as the experiment progresses. For example, when she is in Key West, she is hopeful and kind to almost everyone she meets whether they reciprocate the emotion or not. However, by the time she gets to Minneapolis, she is hostile and negative whenever anyone shows any negative emotions, like the late night co-worker at Wal-Mart. Also, her physical health seems to be declining. She complains more and more about her back and knees as the book continues.
If I were doing this experiment, one thing that I would possibly change is to make the time period longer. I would do this because there is only so much that you can find out after only the first month. However, in saying that, I do not think that if I was conducting the experiment, that I would last very long. I am not sure I would have the ambition or motivation to stay struggle through it.
I think that the book is quite realistic, and the qualitative research that Ehrenrich does throughout the book is at least interesting. I do have a problem with the way she writes the book, it seems that she indulges herself in quite a bit of self pity, especially regarding her ‘learning experience’. Ehrenrich seemed to believe that the reader is interested in her story, when at least in my case, I am far more interested in the stories which her co-workers told her.
In my interpretation of the book, Ehrenrich immerses herself in the particular environments to gain legitimacy with her co workers so she can see how they live. Instead Ehrenrich writes the book as if her experience is the bulk of the interesting material, which in my opinion it is not. Her firsthand experience is certainly valuable, but really because it gives us a detailed framework to interpret the experiences which she is told about by the people she works with.
As Ehrenrich tells us her experience is unrealistic, considering the fact that her previous life was quite comfortable and included insured healthcare. Personally I think this invalidates her experiences, but again certainly does not tarnish the experiences of the people she meets.
Ehrenrich writes as if she is conducting a scientific report, attempting to write as if she was a removed observer from the events surrounding her study, but she does not act in this way and in many cases her writing breaks from this pseudo scientific mold. I generally feel like Ehrenrich is an arrogant elitist, who even though she has, far more than most of American academia, experienced what life is like on the fringes of society she still seems not to empathize with them.
Personally I do not find this to be a very interesting or accurate story. It is impossible for Ehrenreich to put herself in the position of a low income worker perfectly. She definitely does a good job of finding low income jobs and living off of only that money, but she in the back of her head she always has her writing career. If she does not make enough money as a waitress, she always has money in the bank or could just give up and go back to her normal life. The people she is trying to live like do not have that way out. If they do not have enough money for food, they will not be able to eat. If they do not have health insurance and get sick their life can become completely screwed up. If they cannot pay their rent, they become homeless. These people live paycheck to paycheck with these worries in their mind every day. Ehrenreich has none of these worries because her life does not depend on the paychecks she is getting at these low income jobs no matter how realistic she tries to make it sound.
The good part of the book is the qualitative research she does. She gives very accurate accounts of the hardship her co-workers face living off of barely any money at all. It definitely makes me feel sorry for these people. However, in the end I would much rather read a story through one of the actual low income workers'eyes than a well-off writer trying to live a temporarily poor life thinking she knows how the people really feel.
I think that it is very interesting how she wants to experience life on a low-wage income. To be able to adapt from living a very leisurely life to one that is full of skimping and saving seems as if it would be very difficult. Personally, I think it would be hard to say whether or not this is an accurate account of what it means to be homeless. I think that it might be very inaccurate because she has never really experienced what it means to be homeless. I feel like she is only unwrapping the outer shell of what it means to be homeless, because she still has the security of knowing that she could get out of this life at any moment if she really wanted to. I think she may be accurately describing some points of being homeless, but the actuality of it may be being overlooked.
I can relate with Ehrenreich when she expresses how much she wants to help all of these people but at the same time, might feel conflicted with what she should actually do about it. For example, with George, I would’ve wanted to do any to help him, but when you are also working a low-income job, what can you do about it except walk away and leave it for other thought. Well, personally, I would’ve done something about George. I think I would’ve at least said something to the manager. That part seemed to infuriate me. I don’t know why. I just feel as if something should have been done.
So far I find this book to be really interesting. Although Ehrenreich’s experience maybe isn’t as authentic as it could be, because she obviously isn’t a low-income worker in her real life and is doing this for research. I feel she does do a good of pretending though. She has those outs, like knowing she could go back to her real life at anytime or using the money she has in the bank, but she never takes advantage of them. It would be very hard to go from her pervious lifestyle to living on minimum wage and she does it well. She really does live off those pay checks she gets and at one point even goes to get food stamps when money is really tight. I think she successfully emulated the life of a lower class citizen as best as possible for someone from a completely different background.
She goes through some rough job and home searches and, as readers, we see how frustrating it gets for her. At times, when describing her situation at a job, her coworkers or her living quarters she sounds snobby and that gets irritating. I think she gives those descriptions though so we know how bad the situations really are and as a response empathize with those people whose lives these really are. I know that after reading that I felt compassion for people who have to go through that type of thing just to find an acceptable place to live and a way to earn money. Imagine how hard it would be for someone who doesn’t have a car to get a around, which many people in that kind of situation don’t have.
I have really enjoyed these first few chapters. I think that the book is fairly realistic, although I would think that her descriptions are a little more vivid or different from someone who is really in that situation, simply because Ehrenreich knows what she's looking for and can compare it to her 'actual' life. It seems that Ehrenreich appreciates these industries (food service, cleaning, etc.) more and has more respect because she's now gone through these situations. She is also more grateful for what she has, and is starting to realize the luxury of health care, a safe work environemnt, and a steady home. I think Ehrenreich has a way of making the reader feel the same emotions that she's feeling in her situations, which I think is very effective. I never really related personally, except that when I worked in food service, I do know how disgusting it can be in the kitchen, while not as bad as the second restaurant that Ehrenreich was working at.
This is the most fascinating research I have ever read about. I think that by being able to talk about these experiences first hand rather than by discussing statistics is extremely powerful which develops a huge amount of credibility in my eyes. I think that the book is as realistic as it could be. I do not think that anybody else with the education and success as Ehrenreich could have done a better job. With this said, I do not think that the experiences are close to realistic. Maybe some of the actions resemble reality for homeless people, but this could not be real for somebody with backup funds and a more intelligent knowledge of the world and how to be successful. I do not think that a single homeless person has the knowledge and understanding as a successful woman with a PhD. This is one thing that hurts credibility in my eyes because Ehrenreich is simply more capable due to education. Although these things hurt Ehrenreich, I do not see anything negative about the experience that she has had from this.
I think that having a tough time getting by and succeeding in the world is something that Ehrenreich has not had an experience with before. This will make her appreciate her situation more than she had in the past. Also, I believe that she will never look at a homeless person the same again because she "was" there. I cannot connect with Ehrenreich during this book because I have never struggled finincially to the point where she put herself into. I cannot see anything that I would have done differently if I were to conduct the same experiment. Unlike many of my peers, I was intrigued and feel a great sense of respect for what Ehrenreich did because it is something that not many people would last doing.
After reading most of Nickel and Dimmed my impression of it was that it wasn’t what I was expecting from the novel. After reading the introduction, I had a general idea of the process she would put herself through in order to discover more about the working class, but as the book progressed the manner in which she did so was not how I would expect someone to go about the process. I expect her to actually put herself out there and not rely on anything from her previous life; however, she still kept money from her previous life and fell back on it and used it to start off which I believe doesn’t give her the right idea of how it actually is for people in that situation. I feel like she is pretending more so than she would be if she actually sacrificed and made her experience more realistic to their lives. However, I think as the story progresses her detached attitude she intends to keep breaks down and she does change from this experience just because she believes she is one of them and goes through their hardships at work. She isn’t able to not become emotionally involved when fellow workers are hurting or when management doesn’t treat their employees fairly. I can connect to her anger and frustration just because the stories she describes seem so unjust and unbearable to live through that I can’t help but feel for the people involved. I think, overall, she takes away what she was searching for-- she puts herself into the middle of the working class and becomes friends with coworkers, hearing their stories and feeling for their hardships. However, I think that to really get a clear idea of how their lives are, she should have completely disconnected herself from her previous life to live through the struggles that the majority of the class live through day-to-day.
I think the book is very realistic so far. Its very interesting seeing how the lives of some people actually work on a day to day basis. Ehrenrich started out not knowing how to work her schedule to make everything fit in and make enough money. She has been getting progressively better though and her work tolerances have been raised quite a bit. when she gets a job with the maids, she makes it through a whole week of doing hard work and decides that if she can do one week, she can do another. I have definitly felt this way before. a sense of pride and accomplishment in getting something done well. She likes the fact that she is good at doing what she does with the maids. This makes earning a low wage living much more durable. Being forced to do work that is not enjoyable is absolutely something that I would relate with as well.
So far, Nickel and Dimed has been an interesting as well as thought-provoking read. Barbara Ehrenreich's sociological experiment is both shocking and commendable. I do not know of many people who possess the personal strength and diligence to complete as monumental of a task as this one, much less the will or even interest. It is very respectable to do what is not expected and make things hard for yourself even when you don't have to.
Having said this, I feel as though Ehrenreich has a fairly high opinion of herself, though entirely self- critical as well. I love the parts of the novel where she acknowledges her limits, self- imposed and otherwise, as well as her failed objectives and the occasional "cheats." But for a women in her position so used to a world of amenities and even luxury, the fact that she fails in key west and manages to find the will power to try it again somewhere else (albeit a slight easier from her perspective) is what stands out to me as determined. I have never been in her position, and therefore cannot relate to ehrenreich's position at any point in the book, and I doubt whether or not I would have that same determination and will power. But, I can identify with the anxiety of anticipating an extremely critical audience in the future, and the effects it has on thought processes. At the same time, her constant self-analyzation also makes me queasy sometimes, she hasn't yet found the right balance of humility and boring writing. I find it easy to connect with her emotions because she sounds alot like my mom, and I don't think thats a coincidence, really. If I, however, ever found myself in Ehrenreich's position conducting a highly faulty study like this there is one thing that would be very different in my approach. I would not endeavor on this experiment with plans to write a book, because I think in that respect Barbara is very full of herself. I would start it out as a personal commitment and give it everything I had at the time, focusing entirely on what I'm doing and organizing and reflecting upon my thoughts later. I would make sure not to write a book for at least a couple years, and make it more a personally reflective novel rather than one touted as "By someone with a PhD!!! She may be on to something academic here!..."
After reading a few chapters of Nickel and Dimed I believe this book seems very interesting to me. The fact that she s doing field work for her journal or experiment was a very clever idea to understand what it is that truly goes on in the life of an under wagged person or even better a nor so educated one. I find it interesting that a woman that after climbing the social ladder with a PH.D. in biology would want to lower herself to a Walmart employee and even a maid. There are not a lot of diligent and strong people that would leave their life behind just to make a study like this. Her personal strength is amazing for she leaves not only her family but has to start all over again with limited amount of money.
I believe that her experiences are somewhat relatively close to the real life of many that have to go threw this tough road. Yet not as much for she has money that she can rely on if things get tough like she herself said rules that at one time she broke them all. unlike her coworkers she did not have any other mouths to feed like kids or boyfriends.
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