Poverty remains one of the most common global issues that negatively impact people. Different countries experience different levels of poverty. The issue is not likely to end soon. America is one of the countries that are yet to conquer poverty despite being among the wealthiest countries in the world (Bednar et al. 89). Economic, environmental, and political factors bring about class disparities, with the poor considered low in the social class. Poverty leads to many people not being able to afford most of their necessities and living a life of hand to mouth. Different forms of art expression have been used to portray this issue. Creatives use music, films, documentaries, and books to tell the story surrounding poverty and its effects. Although some of this work may be non-fictional, composers of these materials often use non-fictional storytelling to portray different social issues such as poverty. Authors of various books have incorporated and illustrated how poverty affects other characters. Since arts mirrors society, they can be used to demonstrate a social it relates to in the real world. This paper analyses to what extent poverty plays a role in the book ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ (Ng 340). Additionally, the paper outlines to what extent poverty plays a role in current America. Lastly, the paper compares and contrasts how the issue of poverty has changed, morphed, or remained the same throughout the book to the real and its significance.
The book ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ tackles the issue of poverty through its characters. The book tells the story of Mia, who encounters the Richardsons because she rents out their property to stay with her daughter Pearl. Poverty plays a crucial role in Mia’s story (Ng 34). She is a broke artist who has to take several minimum wage jobs to provide an income that can sustain her and her daughter. On the other hand, the Richardsons are well off financially because they do not need the rent from the property rented out to Mia. Mrs. Richardson rented the property to Mia as a show of goodwill because she had been previously homeless. While the Richardson navigate the world without any financial stress whatsoever, Mia works three jobs to be able to afford a living. The impact of Mia’s financial situation is portrayed through her minimalist lifestyle and the struggle her daughter goes through to fit into a culture in the suburbs (Williams et al. 45). The book describes the difference between the lifestyle of the Richardsons and Mia’s life to show to what extent poverty drives a social wedge between people. The author writes, ‘Mia could not help but notice her daughter’s infatuation with the Richardsons’ (Ng 21). The poor are seen as existing in a world where they are expected to be grateful for their opportunities to earn a living without complaining. At the same time, the rich live in a world where everything is owed to them, and opportunities present themselves at every step.
The extent to which poverty plays a role in this book is demonstrated through the character name Bebe. Bebe provides the central conflict in this book. Therefore, the issue of poverty is used to give the message the author intended to portray. She is an undocumented Chinese immigrant who co-workers with Mia as a server at an eatery. Mia discovers that Bebe had given birth to a child and left him at a fire station during the winter because she couldn’t afford to take care of the baby. The baby is handed to close family friends of the Richardsons for adopting a baby as they had previously encountered difficulties conceiving and carrying the pregnancies to term. Although Mia helps Bebe throughout the process of getting her baby back, poverty prevents her from presenting fairly in the justice system against the adoptive parents (Shen et al. 23). The poverty issue in this book leads to a division between the people who support Bebe, such as Mia, and the people supporting the adoptive parents, such as the Richardsons. The financial status of Bebe and Mia denies them critical services such as legal counsel to defend Bebe in court.
Examining poverty in America provides insight into what extent it has spread and how it impacts the country. More than 30 million American residents live in poverty (Bednar et al. 56). America defines poverty as either absolute or relative. Absolute poverty is registered when an American resident cannot obtain needs that are necessities. On the other hand, relative poverty is witnessed when one social group compares itself to another. Americas used the same method used in the 1960s to calculate the poverty levels (Bednar et al. 78). As a result, the lowest poverty levels were recorded in 2019, with the government estimating it to be 10.5% (Bednar et al. 45). Although the 2019 statistics place poverty as an issue of concern, it showed a decline compared to the previous years. More residents of America had begun to rise above the poverty line. High poverty levels in America are recorded among marginalized groups. The 2019 statistics showed poverty decline in minority communities. However, the decline in poverty rates was short-lived. The Covid 19 pandemic caused disruption and a significant increase in the poverty rate to 17% in 2020 (Bednar et al. 45). The pandemic led to massive job losses, and businesses were forced to shut down due to restrictions and loss of consumer income. As a result, more people close to the poverty line experience absolute poverty. Although the rules have lessened and things are going back to normal, many people are still struggling with going back to how they were financially before the pandemic.
The portrayal of poverty in the book compares to some aspects of poverty in the real world. Things about poverty as an issue in the book remain similar in real life. Examining the character of Bebe shows the challenges immigrants face as they are trying to establish a life in the United States (Shen et al. 78). The likelihood of immigrants being poor in the real world of America is still high. This issue is made worse when the immigrants are undocumented. Immigrants lack the opportunities to improve their lives and are left with minimum wage jobs.
Additionally, poverty in real-world America limits services poor people is accessed. For example, poor people struggle to obtain quality legal representation, as portrayed by the character Bebe in the book. However, the issue in modern-day America has changed compared to the book, as more resources are available for poor immigrants to be documented and make a living in legitimate ways. Additionally, Mia and Bebe’s character can be eligible for financial assistance from government and non-profit institutions. The author writes, ‘In her month and a half of turbulent motherhood, Bebe did not once seek help from a psychologist or a doctor… she had no idea where to turn… She did not know how to find the social workers who might have helped her… she did not know how to file for welfare’ (Ng 45). There is a world where Bebe wouldn’t have had to give up her baby in current America. Comparing poverty in the book and real-life provides insight into where the issue is, who it impacts and what society can do to cushion the people affected. The comparison and contrasts bring different perspectives on the issue.
In conclusion, poverty remains one issue that oppresses different populations by denying them access to necessities. The book ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ demonstrates how poverty impact people through its characters. Although the portrayal of poverty in the book shares similarities with the real-life manifestation of the issue, there is a change in how it is handled today. More effort needs to be put into bringing an end to poverty.
Works Cited
Bednar, Dominic J., and Tony G. Reames. “Recognition of and response to energy poverty in the United States.” Nature Energy 5.6, 2020 : 432-439. www//doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0582-0.
Ng, Celeste. Little Fires Everywhere (Movie Tie-In): A Novel. Penguin, 2020.
Shen, Yuan, and Wenting Wang. “Narrative Ethics in Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research 368, 2019: 539-544. www.atlantis-press.com/article/125923462.pdf.
Williams, Susan S. “Revising The Scarlet Letter: Race and Motherhood in In the Blood and Little Fires Everywhere.” Adaptation 15., 2022: 51-67. www://doi.org/10.1093/adaptation/apab006.
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