Pack Horse Inn: Summary And Review

The cost for places to live like hotels, motels, or trailer parks may be within reason, but not enough for a blue collar worker’s salary. The difficulty in securing a place to live is not uncommon, and many have made ways to work around it like sharing apartments. Ehrenreich details these types of situations in her novel like “Tina, another server, and her husband [who] are paying $60 a night for a room in the Days Inn…[or] Joan… [who] lives in a van parked behind a shopping center at night and showers in Tina 's motel room” (pg. 25). Examples taken from Ehrenreich’s novel shows us the struggles that many have had to go through to secure a place to live. It isn’t to say that these people don’t work hard, but, unfortunately, this is the best they get for the work they put in and the pay they receive.

Jane Addams was a major influence during the Progressive Era. As a progressive reformer she had attempted to eliminate the corruption of the government while trying to promote women’s suffrage. Throughout her life Jane Addams had assisted immigrants from all over the world, regardless of their color, and established the Hull House as a result of her efforts. Throughout her life, Jane had been noticed for her achievements and became an important figure for those around her. As a result she became the first female president of the National Conference of Social Work.

The Hull House was founded in Chicago and became the mecca for other settlement houses that was birth do to the success of the Hull House. This establishment operated by building a social bridge that connected social classes. “Addams believed the settlement house provided a service both yo the volunteer residence, who needed a purpose in life, and to an increasingly stratified society at large (Wendy L. Haight & Taylor, 2013).” There were three purposes the settlement house served which was to provided services and assistance to immigrants, policy advocacy, and an important piece that heightened national social reform to the next level; “Jane Addams noted social reform was imperative if the poor were to have any help (Dale &

As the author moved from locale to locale she identified a variety of recurring hardships faced by the working poor. The chief concern for many was housing. Finding and maintaining economical housing was the principal source of disruption in their lives. For many of the working poor it’s not uncommon to spend more than 50% of income on housing. These leaves a scarce amount of money left over for anything else and creates a situation where the person is always worried about losing their shelter. In a nutshell, it’s Ehrenreich’s conviction that wages are too low and rents are too high. She does speak with many individuals who simply cannot afford the high rental rates and are forced to live with family, friends, or in some

Ehrenreich’s housing situation also makes her stand out from the real poor working class. Ehrenreich (2002) states "As it turns out, the mere fact of having a unit to myself makes me an aristocrat..." (p. 70). Almost every other person she has met has to live with another person. A hefty security deposit is required to get an apartment which many people are unable to pay so they are forced to live with family, friends, or pay for a hotel room. Cohabiting is another system the working poor faces. Ehrenreich does not have to endure the hardship of living with another person.

Families were expected to survive off of little to no money in the past which is a huge negative in the Industrial Revolution. These days in our generation some families still don’t have jobs or money to survive, and that’s why there are a lot of homeless people on the streets with nowhere to go. “Where do you live now?” “In the poorhouse”, (Document 7). The importance of this quote is major. If you analyze the response she says she lives in a poor house because she doesn’t have any money to support herself. She stays in a poor home and doesn’t have enough money to eat. If she has been working since she were a child you believe that she would have enough money to at least live in a tenement with others who struggle to live another day. “I have enough to eat”, (Document 1). In this excerpt a young girl explains that she is doing well, but does say that she have enough to eat. During the revolution, humans didn’t have enough to eat for themselves, let alone provide food or clothing for their family. “A stranger am I to my child; and he on to me”, (Document 2). This supports as a negative because a mother is explaining how she doesn’t have a relationship with her son, but if you process what she say it shows how she is constantly working so that her son can have food and clothes on his

The people who lived in an almshouse, alms meaning charity, were those who needed public assistance. In the early 19th century, class systems were still very much important to social status; socio- economic situation determined social standing in the community. The residents of the poor house would not ever have had the opportunity to mingle socially with the elite. The irony of the separation of the classes was that the elite, middle to upper class, of the communities determined the criteria for those who were to receive aid (Wagner). Based on the findings of these well- off community members, the appealing poor would either be found worthy of “outdoor aid”, which allowed the community member to remain in their homes; such an option was usually offered to widows (Wagner).

Without work and a steady income many people lost their homes and were forced to live in makeshift dwellings with poor heating and sanitation”.

“In the matter of immigration… The United States has too many people who don’t work hard.”

In the case study Carolina Wilderness Outfitters, Sue Ramos the head of internal auditing, launched an investigation based on improper termination, which turned up a new allegation of possible accounting irregularities and potential fraud.

wonder why men would work in such a place. He seems to be intrigued by the fact that

Philip shares with me his personal experiences working with the individuals who found themselves living on the streets during the years of 1986-1996. He explains why eventually he dealt solely with those individuals who would not go in to the missions and shelters or even accept food from the mobile soup wagons. Philip relives the moment that he first realized that houseless people were not in their current situation because of a life misled or because they were lazy or criminal, as may be the common

The lowborn workers toiled away for hours in physically exhausting jobs only to afford apartments that were sterile and cold. “There were some nine cots in the place . . . he was sick of the bareness and privation connected with his venture” (Dreiser, 304). The pay affected the men and woman’s own mode of life. They were forced to share living spaces with other families and more often than naught, had to bunk with complete strangers. The very comforts associated with a home, such as wood and furniture, were often too large of an expense. Even with Governmental/ Charity handouts the citizens had no money in which they could afford better living conditions. The rooms they were given to stay in were cold and sterile, and they were not guaranteed a place to stay every night.

Housing was deemed a necessity as people were living in poor conditions, families were overcrowded and there was families living in tenements that shared toilet amenities. Also there were homeless people living in the streets.

With inventions such as quicker and more effective ways of transit, the Utopian suburbia was born and alleviated overcrowding problems cities faced. However, many members of the poorer class were not able to remedy their living conditions that places outside of the city offered. The many helpful factors suggested by the aiding systems of the 19th century may have given a more acceptable living standard to the poor. But if you were born into the poor class you were stuck in the poor class unless you worked your life out of debt if you were able survive as long. Today, there are many reform programs and policies to help the lower classes; are few are namely unemployment agencies, welfare, shelters and educational practices. Despite years of reform, a lack in abundance of shelter or food stamps exemplifies the modern hardship that was comparable to the difficulties the people of the 19th century faced.(p1 para3, Newfield)