English Literature

Barbara Ehrenreich through her book Nickel and Dimed On (Not) getting by in America has tried to show the world the living condition of people living on minimum wage job.  The book is more of investigating journal rather than a work of nonfiction from the author. In wake of numerous government reforms for the working poor, Barbara imagines what would be the living conditions of the person working under minimum wage job and what would be the exact income that could be accounted for the maximum expense one pays for his living.

Barbara attempts to justify her statement by going through the hardship of minimum wage worker. Throughout her stay in Florida, Maine and Minnesota she works in minimum wage job. She decides to earn her livelihood through low paid job so that she could pay all her expenses including house rent, food, and other necessities. She takes her first job as a waitresses and second job as waitresses too, both at nearby locations to meet her monthly expenses. Then her second adventure begins at Portland, Maine where she takes up the housecleaning service job and dietary aide in an understaffed nursing home. The final job of Barbara is at Wal-Mart as wear clerk in Minneapolis.

During her adventure, she found that there is definite lack in affordable housing for the poor and if there are houses on offer, the prices are touching the sky making it difficult for the people working on low wages to handle the cost. Most of the people who work under this category pay most of their salary amount towards house rents, food, and basic necessities and after that how much money is left is a question to ask the government while preparing the reforms for poor.

Low paid workers are as same as modern day slaves who dont get any support from the government. Even though government is making reforms and policies to increase the income level but it is supported by increased price levels making it more difficult to afford the living. There are people who leave their own children and care for other children just for sake of earning money, people who work cleaning other houses leaving their own houses unclean, etc. making it a legitimate statement that Low-paid workers are the same as the modern-day slaves without governments realistic supports