Nickel And Dimes Critical Analysis

In Nickels and Dimes by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author decides to experience the life of an average worker in the service industry in order to record and show to the world how they survive with a minimum wage, long working hours, and tiring jobs without much compensation with health insurance or being allowed to take breaks. As she journeys fourth she also discovers new things about herself that she didn’t ever think would happen to her unless she actually worked as a waitress or in hotel service. In the beginning. Barbara starts out by finding a job at a place called the Hearthside. It’s a very gloomy place, however she has co-workers that consolidate and relieve her of the stress. She finds out that many of them have a tough time

There are much more customers than the Hearthside. All of them hate a certain co-worker who is always nagging. That co-worker reveals to Barbara that she’s like that because of the industry. Barbara is a newcomer to this. She has a different perspective because she doesn’t have to do this to survive. When it gets too hard she can just bail out. There is no stagnation of living and the constant stress of getting enough money to pay rent. She might have a few shocks but at the end of the day she is fine. She doesn’t know this yet. She realizes that many of the co-workers are closely knitted, and for good reason. When they’ve survived with each other for so long it’s hard for a newbie to get involved. Then she meets George a young boy who can’t speak English. They talk through small breaks and she sees him like a son. However there’s news that he stole something and is going to court. Obviously Barbara should do something. But she finds that she can’t, and even if she tries to force herself, doesn’t want to. Is it the industry that’s doing this to me, or have I been like this all along? Has she been judging everyone incorrectly. Maybe it’s not their fault they are stuck up. Maybe this is the only way they can survive and take it for any longer. This experiment that she’s doing might be something that she never expected to change

She starts to take a stand and realizes that she’s pathetic in the way that she’s just letting this pass by her. As she watches her co-workers take the abuse without any retaliation she snaps and tells Ted to treat them better. She’s surprised that no one has the fight to talk back. Surprisingly Ted gives her a raise when he calls her in. She thought she was going to get fired. Then she realizes it’s because another co-worker quit. She’s had enough and decides to reveal herself to everyone that she’s working in secret when she’s really an author. She asks why they would go through this kind of work and they say that it motivates them to work harder.Ehrenreich