Particularly vulnerable groups were the old, who had no means of acquiring money. The young, were dependant on their parents’ financial status and good will, if they were not orphans. Seasonal workers were vulnerable due to the cyclical nature of their employment. Anyone who suffered from illness either long or short term fell into poverty because there were no sickness benefits. Women were another vulnerable group because they were always paid at a lower rate than men.
Harlen Bigbear was a friend Will met following his mother’s funeral; this friendship was critical in many deep levels for the integration of Will in to the community. Harlen always tries to remove everyone’s obstacles by interfering with their problems; he reunites and revives the sense of community. Aware of Will’s position as a newcomer and eager to help, Harlen tries to get him more involved with the community. Of many attempts, getting Will to
Gatsby is flawed for many other reasons such as the fact that he is part of the “new money” class of society; he actually had to work to earn his wealth. However, the “new money” aspect is not what makes him flawed; what makes him flawed is that he actually came “from a poor family”. He grew up in a poor place with a farmer as a father and a housewife as a mother. None of his family was wealthy or flawless in anyway. Daisy is externally flawless with her “singing voice” and “charming” features, she
Hilliard is presented to us as a typically strong character, restrained not only by the upper-middle class community he grew up in but also by himself. His emotions are it seems, perpetually suppressed, as expected of a middle class gentleman of the time. We see in Part 1, his past embarrassment at the extravagant dresses and hats of his mother as she walked through the village when he was a child, now he appreciates this, admiring her beauty “his mother looked beautiful”. On leave we see Hilliard is irritated at the general public for, it seems the duration of part one, at their ignorance of ‘the truth’ of war. We see, a great deal of resentment towards the arrogance with which the public treat the conflict, displayed in “where old men aired their military opinions […] and agreed about politics”, This is exemplified by Hilliard’s own father and perhaps more pertinently the Old Major, who irritates Hilliard with his fervent talk about his time “in the cavalry”.
The Owen’s lived a comfortable life in a nice house on wealth of Shaw. However, after Shaw’s death, the Owen family was forced to pay his debts, which left them bankrupt. The only way they could support themselves was to move to dilapidated lodging in the back-streets of urban Birkenhead. The Owen’s lived in a poor area in a small house. While trying to maintain their high class demeanor, the Owen family was scrutinized as they travelled through the town in which they lived.
Matt now has a son, a good wife, and an ordinary life; he still has a good family life without going to university. In contrast with Kate, although she has good education and job, she doesn’t have her own family and in fact, she says, “I had never thought I would really love anyone.” (89) From another perspective, she seems to be the one that is going to have a sad life. Similar with Luke, when he rejects Sally it is due to his responsibility as a caregiver. He is happy with his decision since it is for his family. If Matt chooses to go to university instead and leaves Marie, he will most likely lose his happiness and truly be an emotionless “nerd” and suffers like Kate who does not truly knows the meaning of love.
Pip goes through many changes throughout Great Expectations due to the changes in his social class. Dickens explores the class system of Victorian England, ranging from the most despicable criminals (Magwitch) to the poor peasants (Joe and Biddy) to the middle class (Pumblechook) to the very rich (Miss Havisham). P ip originally believed that the higher your class the better you were treated and the more love and amenities were given to you, this is why he was frustrated at Joe for raising him the way he did. “I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too.” (1.8.92) Pip is irritated that Joe was raised in the lower class and as a result so was he. Joe was Pip’s father figure and because of that Pip was never taught well manners or how to behave gentleman like around other people.
Goodbye, Columbus This story that we read about Neil a lower class young man living with his aunt and uncle that meets this upper class young woman, Brenda, who attends school in Boston. I feel that Roth was showing how the different classes react towards one another and how some can push some of their difference aside such as Neil and Brenda. Brenda’s family all treat Neil a little different then they treat anyone else. The only person that is a little nicer to Neil was Julie possibly because she was young and naïve. Neil’s aunt makes it pretty clear that she doesn’t like the fact that Neil is spending all of his time in Brenda’s home in Short Hills where her and her Jewish family is the All-American family.
In the novel Huckleberry Finn , Huck's relationship with jim changes a lot thought the story. Considering the fact that they lived in pretty much the same household but barely knew each other. They both lived in The Widow douglas and Miss.Watsons house where Jim was Miss Watson's slave. Huck had no family and The Widow Douglas took him in as her own. Huck tended to be outside most of the time either in school or hanging out with tom sawyer.
Esperanza has parents who were born into a life of poverty and have had to struggle throughout their life just maintain a decent living. Paul’s family lives in a mansion with servants and housekeepers whereas Esperanza has lived in multiple houses only to be left dreaming of a nice house to live in. The parents of Paul are very ignorant and selfish due to their ranking financial status as middle-class whereas Esperanza’s family is sharing and walk through life as one. If Esperanza struggles then the whole family will struggle with her to get her through unlike Paul’s parents where the mother will receive money and instead of spending it with her Paul and his father she would rather go shopping for herself. Esperanza and her family have more family values due to the fact they have been living the in the poverty level most of their life with nothing leaving them with only to each other to rely on.