Financial Gaps in Mexico and The Pearl by John Steinbeck

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Out of the total population in Mexico, twenty million are considered to live in extreme poverty. (DePalma, nytimes.com) In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, (which takes place in Baja California, Mexico) the main character and his wife live in very poor conditions; however, just a few miles away from their village, lives a rich town. This presents a major gap in the quality of life between these classes. The answers to the questions discussed in this paper (i.e., “To what extent is this financial gap in Mexico?” “Why does this gap exist?” and “What could we have done to prevent this gap?”) provide a basis of understanding of this topic. Although The Pearl was written in 1945, this paper will be focusing on these issues in present-day Mexico.
The first goal of this paper will be to analyze the extent of this gap in Mexico. Economic inequality has become so apparent that poor criminals are kidnapping wealthy citizens for sums of money. A study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that, Mexico, out of the other 30 countries in the study, had the largest divide between the rich and the poor. (Economic Survey of Mexico, oecd.org) It is almost certain, then, that the wealthy will stand out as targets. And because of this, the rich have to go to extreme measures to protect their personal safety. “With drug-related violence spinning out of control and kidnappings a proven money-maker for criminal gangs, members of Mexico’s upper class find themselves juggling the spoils of their status with the fear of being killed.” (Lacey, nytimes.com)
On the other hand, the rich are not the only ones who find themselves at a disadvantage from this inequality. The treatment of the moderately poor is improving slightly; however...

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"Mexico Data." World Development Indicators. The World Bank Group, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
"Poverty in Mexico: An Assessment of Conditions, Trends, and Government Strategy." Poverty Analysis. The World Bank Group, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
Reardon, Sean. "The Widening Academic Achievement Gap Between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations." Stanford University, July 2011. Web. 10 May 2014.
Sutter, John. "7 ways to narrow the rich-poor gap." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 1970. Web. 10 May 2014
"The Causes of Poverty in Mexico." Advanced Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English. Eslbee.com, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
"What can be done to improve income inequality?." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.

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