The Main Idea Of Nickel And Dimed

The theme of “Nickel and Dimed” is how people making minimum wage have been treated in America. Ehrenreich traveled to different places to find out how people were being treated and how minimum wage workers couldn't survive on what they were being paid. Even though Ehrenreich was only doing these jobs to journal about them she still experienced the same hard times and pains actual minimum wage workers did. This book by Barbara Ehrenreich was published January 1st, 2001. Nickel and Dimed was a well written book and it showed good examples about how one cannot live on minimum wage.

In Chapter three of “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich, one of the most significant scenarios I would say is when Barbara is talking with Caroline about her lifestyle. Caroline lives in a $825-a-month rental home with her husband and two children. They are considered middle-class because they make close to $40,000 a year, but scraping by to make ends meet. Caroline goes on to tell of her low-wage life; this includes a hotel room cleaning job in Florida, and now book keeping job in Minnesota. Also, Caroline tells Barbara of her struggles with balancing a job and children, and her own health when living in Florida.

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.

There continues to be debates on whether or not minimum wage should be raised and the financial impact it has on an individual. Does it kill jobs? Who does it benefit the most? Many people can agree that minimum wage has changed dramatically in the past couple of years. In the book Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich, she states her views and opinions on the minimum wage based on self-experience. Ehrenreich took the challenge of secretly reporting life at minimum wage by settling into different areas in the country, working at low-paying service jobs like restaurant server, cleaning woman and Wal-Mart employee. Ehrenreich learned how difficult it was to live making a low wage.

The book Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting by in America, written by Barbara Ehrenreich is a book that relates the experience of how she survived living on poverty-level wages in America as a waitress, maid and a Wal-mart sales associate. Barbara left her comfortable surroundings as a journalist with a Ph.D in biology to work various "unskilled" and "under compensated" jobs in order to achieve, "the old-fashioned kind of journalism". In regards to leaving her comfortable lifestyles for a few months traveling through Florida to Maine and Minnesota, she discovered that people who are paid six to seven dollars an hour did not generate enough income for those who did not want to live

Ehrenreich uses this example to exemplify the meaning of sharing living quarters with so many other people where supplies are scarce. The only other option the lower class employees have to provide for themselves is usually stealing, which her friend got caught

It also shows the general affinity by the wealthy in U.S. to prioritize their interests over those of others (Ricciardi). This is consolidated by the gradual reduction in understanding, concern for others and cooperation to reduce the widening gap between the two classes. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, “Nickel and Dimed”, the challenges that face the working poor in U.S. She reports her findings, as an undercover journalist, about the difficulties faced by the low-income employees, such as the capacity to pay for shelter and even feed themselves. The low-wage workers are forced to spend more on daily hotel costs or even sleep in their cars due to their incapacity to raise the demanded rent charges. They eat less hygienic and more expensive food because they lack the needed house appliances such as refrigerators and

Throughout the novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author documents her journey working on minimum wage and trying to live off of the low wages. She found that living on minimum wage is a challenging task that requires sacrifice, dedication, hard work, and motivation to live. Ehrenreich found that the life of a minimum wage worker is full of injustice and helps bring to light the treatment and conditions for these people. She initially discovered that minimum wage does not support a comfortable life, including adequate housing, medical care, and food. She learned that these jobs are often physically demanding and require toughness to work them for long periods of time. Lastly, she found that the application process is intrusive and more in depth than necessary, she was subject to multiple drug tests and was treated poorly. Ehrenreich believed that these were significant problem and she likely hoped her book could shed light on the true life and

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America written by Barbara Ehrenreich, is a book composed of Ehrenreich’s experiences working minimum wage in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. Ehrenreich’s sheds light onto what it is like for most minimum wage workers and brings insight into what it truly is like trying to make it on $6-$7 hourly wage. Nickel and Dimed does a wonderful job of giving insight to the everyday lives of the working class and somewhat understanding their lives better. Before reading this book, I had my share of thoughts on the working class based on what I knew from growing up with family members and even my father being apart of the working class. This book reinforced a lot ideas that I had about the working class and opened my eyes into what it means to live above the poverty line.

Is America truly the land of endless opportunities? People from all over the world come to the US in high hopes of becoming rich with minimal efforts. Sadly, this is not the case. After reading Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich, I have a new outlook on individuals struggling to get by on low wage paying jobs in America. Barbara travels to Florida, Maine, and Minnesota to "investigate" life as low wage worker. She plays a different role in each of these three states to experience the true life of these workers. She works at four different low paying jobs as a waitress, housekeeper at a hotel, house cleaner and a Wal-Mart associate. In the course of three months she finds insight in life with minimum wage. Reading this novel has truly

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.

Barbara Ehrenreich's intent in the book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America exhibited how minimum wage isn't enough for Americans to get by on and that there's no hope for the lower class. Her main objective was achieved by living out the life of the "working poor". During the three cases studies she worked many jobs that are worked by many that are simply striving to live day to day. The jobs she had didn't generate sufficient income to avoid or help her rise out of poverty, in fact the six to seven dollar jobs made survival considerably difficult. Enitially, she believe the jobs didn't require any skill but while on her journey she started to realize they were stressful and drained a lot of energy. In addition to that she

In Barbara Ehrenreich’s documentary novel, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America (2001), she claimed that it is almost impossible to live off of minimum wage in the united states. She supports her claim by writing a documentary novel explaining the details of the life of the American struggles caused by the minimum wage. Through her book, she supports that minimum wage salary is insufficient means of survival and leads to a difficult life. After encountering many people who falsely accuse welfare receivers of being lazy and not work hard enough, she wrote a book to challenge and change the public’s negative opinion towards them and also about the day when the minimum wage workforce will stand up for themselves and demand to have a higher wage. Ehrenreich’s purpose for writing this novel was to bring attention to wage workforce by showing the general American public the life of their fellow citizens who are struggling to survive.

Chapter 2 focuses on the struggle of maintaining a job and as well as a home to in sleep. Maintaining a job alone is a difficult challenge, but working to pay the rent while trying to have sufficient funds for other necessities is an obstacle many seem to never overcome. Many Americans have to endure harmful conditions because it’s the only source of income they have. “Jennifer Hernandez, an asthmatic, is a house cleaner who had to clean moldy and unsanitary foreclosed homes despite her condition.” (pg. 40-41). Many have to take what they can get because job availability is slowly dwindling. At times I look at my working situation, complaining about how boring my job is but after reading the second chapter of this book I realized how fortunate I am to even have a job. Most fail to realize there are people who search day after day for a job but come out

Suzanne Kotler is a woman living in poverty in New Jersey. She was hit by a drunk driver and was severely injured. Because of the actions of one irresponsible person, her husband divorced her. Due to the wreck, she is unable to work, so she is forced to live off money from alimony and food stamps. After paying bills with her alimony and buying food with food stamps, Suzanne is left with ten extra dollars a month. She needs to buy basic hygiene and health supplies with the remaining ten dollars, and many times the ends do not meet (Kotler & Lee, 2009).