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Julia Means
Dr. Brown
EDU-781
14 October 2014

Genre #1- What Prevents Us From Leaving Abhorrent Situations?: Examining Issues of Poverty and
Abuse Through Literature

Young adult literature assigned in schools oftentimes reflects the complex issues that our
students experience outside of school walls. One particular topic that infiltrates young adult texts and
lived experience alike manifests itself in the following question: what prevents us from leaving
abhorrent situations? Although this question may appear heavy and particularly broad, it truly merits
further study due to the vast amount of students who experience situations whose horrors are beyond
comprehension. By truly understanding what psychological and physical constraints prevent us from
leaving situations which only produce pain and hurt, we develop a more full awareness of what others
go through, as well as recognize our own situations which lie beyond our control. This paper will be
framed around the text The House on Mango Street, which the topic was originally drawn from.
Focusing specifically on the abhorrent situations of physical and emotional abuse, and the cycle of
poverty, this paper seeks to explore a more nuanced understanding of why removing oneself from these
types of situations proves extremely difficult, as reflected in the content of many different types of
literature.
To fully understand the scope of this topic, one must understand the prevalence of these types of
abhorrent situations in our world today. In regards to physical abuse, there has been a 225% increase in
reporting for all forms of maltreatment between 1976 and 1987 (Tiesel & Olson, 1992). Although these
numbers fail to take into account whether more people are being abused or just that more people are
reporting abuse, the topic clearly has continued to gain steam as an important issue in our world today.
Additionally, in regards to poverty, the United States has reached a pivotal point where 25% of children
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under 5 are living below the federal poverty level whereas only 9% of adults now legally live in
poverty (Klass, 2013). Recently, there has been speculation that living in extreme poverty as a child
could cause toxic stress, affecting brain function and stunting brain growth (Klass, 2013). This poses a
serious issue for children in schools as some who are experiencing severe poverty may also experience
learning deficiencies due to their inability to thrive in a poverty stricken environment.
Sandra Cisneros novel The House on Mango Street builds on the facts about these difficult
situations in society by providing a face to the issues of abuse and poverty; specifically, Cisneros does
this through the character of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl whose family has just moved to an
impoverished neighborhood in Chicago. Esperanzas family undergoes extreme conditions of poverty,
including constantly moving from one place to another and lacking a safe and secure home. Esperanza
dreams of leaving her difficult situation, yet seems to be prevented from leaving due to the obligation
she feels toward her family. In the beginning of the novel, Esperanza reveals her dream of a real house
that would be ours for always so we wouldnt have to move each year rather than the small and
temporary house where everyone in her six person family must share one small bedroom (Cisneros,
1984, pp. 4-5). Ultimately, Esperanza recognizes that she must wait to leave Mango Street,
acknowledging that one day I will say goodbye to Mango I am too strong for her to keep me here
forever, but that in the process of leaving she must still come back. For the ones I left behind
(Cisneros, 1982, pp. 110).
When considering why Esperanza feels she must remain on, and ultimately return to, Mango
Street, definitions of poverty and the cycle of poverty may provide some illumination. Poverty may be
defined as an inequitable distribution of assets and lack of access to productive resources such as
education, land and credit (Poverty, 2000). The poverty cycle describes the circular process through
which people who are born into poverty have a far more difficult time than others in rising above the
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poverty line. However, the poverty cycle goes beyond those attempting to rise in the sphere of labor, and
in the end affects all members of the family no matter how young or old (Musick & Mare, 2004). Thus,
those who grow up in poverty may have a difficult time breaking free from the situations which they
were born into due to the aforementioned inequality in access to education and other important
economic and social resources. In fact, those who grow up in poverty are 3.5 more times likely to end up
below the poverty line than their peers who did not (Musick & Mare, 2004).
Young adult literature today seems to address the cycle of poverty by first revealing the
difficulty of breaking the cycle, and next expressing the desire of the young adult protagonists to do just
that. In Karen Hesses novel Out of the Dust, young woman, Billie Jo, lives in her impoverished home
with her father during the historic period of the Dust Bowl (Hesse, 1997). After living in horrible
poverty, experiencing hunger, distress and the stresses of infertile farmland, Billie Jo finally decides she
must leave her home and start anew in the promise land of California. However, similar to Esperanza,
Billie Jo realizes in the end that she must return to her father as getting away, it wasnt any better. Just
different. And lonely (Hesse, 1997, pp. 204). Both female protagonists in these novels eventually
realize that the familial ties that bind them to their homes in poverty outweigh the improved
circumstances that leaving their homes would provide.
Tying the theme of poverty and familial ties to a canonical text, John Steinbecks The Grapes of
Wrath reveals the necessity of family solidarity through the hardships that poverty brings (Steinbeck,
1939). Similar to Out of the Dust, Steinbecks novel also features the protagonist traveling to California
to escape the Dust Bowl; however, in this novel he does so with his entire family. Although the family
experiences hardships and betrayal along the way, the unified way that the family attempts to handle
their difficult economic situation connects with the familial ties developed in many novels that deal with
the hardships of poverty.
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Similarly, the non-fiction memoir The Glass Castle, by: Jeanette Walls, also deals with the cycle
of poverty and familial ties which hold a child back from seeking a different situation; however, Walls
portrays the situation in a more negative light (Walls, 2009). Walls reflects on her childhood, which was
characterized by constantly moving houses and battling homelessness, hunger and her fathers
alcoholism. Unlike the protagonists in The House on Mango Street and Out of the Dust, Walls finally
breaks the cycle of poverty and moves away to begin her own life in New York. However, similar to the
characters in the other two novels, Walls finally comes to realize that she loves her family and that,
despite the horrible conditions of her childhood, she still feels ties that bind her emotionally to both of
her parents.
However, not all novels that deal with children in poverty end on a note of familial allegiance. In
the novel Dont You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, the author, Margaret Peterson Haddix, discusses
the difficult truth of children who are forced to take on the role of caregiver and provider when their
parents abandon them (Haddix, 1996). In this novel, the young heroine struggles to keep her and her
brother safe and fed after both their mother and father abandon them to fend for themselves. The two
childrens lives spiral out of control as the money runs out and they are left with extremely adult
problems to deal with involving fighting poverty and obtaining food. Ultimately, this novel advocates
for adult intervention for children in poverty, as the heroines teacher finally discovers the truth and
helps the two children find a better situation in which they can thrive. In this novel, the children are
prevented from leaving this horrible situation due to their fears of being separated, as well as a lack of
adult guidance and support.
A second abhorrent situation discussed in The House on Mango Street is the situation of physical
abuse, both in romantic and familial relationships. Although Esperanza never experiences physical abuse
herself, she witnesses many accounts of women who stay in abusive or restrictive situations for reasons
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having to do with either money or psychological distress. For example, Esperanza reveals the story of
Minerva, a single mother who keeps allowing her estranged husband to come back into her life only to
find herself bruised and beaten the next week with more worries than when she was on her own
(Cisneros, 1984). In addition to actual physical abuse, Esperanza also details the emotional abuse of
women whose freedoms are taken away by their husbands possessive tendencies. Esperanza tells of a
woman who gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away because she is too
beautiful to look at, as well as her good friend who got married before the eighth grade whose husband
wont let her talk on the telephone. And he doesnt let her look out the window. And he doesnt like her
friends (Cisneros, 1984, pp. 79, 101).
This novel brings up extremely relevant and biting points about why women remain in romantic
situations with men who abuse them, both physically and emotionally. A study by researchers Strube
and Barbour suggests that economic dependence and psychological commitment represent two major
factors that prevent women from leaving their partners in abusive relationships (Strube & Barbour,
1983). Women who do not have their own source of income or feel that they would lack economic
resources without their abusive partner are more likely to stay in an abusive relationship than an
economically independent woman. Additionally, women who feel that they may be failures if they quit
their relationship or marriage due to societal expectations may be more likely to stay in abusive
relationships as well (Strube & Barbour, 1983). A current event that may provide an example of these
two factors at work appears in the recent controversy involving Ray Rice and his fianc. Ray Rice, a
famous football player in the NFL, hit his then fianc in an elevator, knocking her unconscious during a
fight between the couple (Bien, 2014). Despite being physically abused in a horrendous and very public
manor, Ray Rices fianc still chose to apologize for her actions that night which she attempted to say
justified the abusive situation she found herself in. Although no one can claim direct insight into the
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situation or mind of Ray Rices fianc, one may speculate that economic and psychological motives
caused her to remain with her abusive fianc, and even go on to marry him.
These difficult situations which are abundantly apparent in todays society also appear in many
of the young adult and canonical texts studied in the classroom. In the novel Dreamland, by: Sarah
Dessen, Caitlin gets involved with a boy who turns out to be both physically and emotionally abusive
(Dreamland, 2004). Due to the fact that Caitlin still lives with her parents and thus is not economically
dependent on her boyfriend, this novel focuses on the psychological issues of an abusive relationship;
namely, her boyfriend proves extremely manipulative and controlling, making Caitlin feel as if she
should be ashamed of herself and that she deserves the abuse. Dissimilarly, the more canonical text of
The Great Gatsby presents the idea of women enduring abuse for economic reasons through the
relationship between Tom Buchanan and his wife Daisy (Fitzgerald, 1925). Buchanan is often described
as hulking and violent, striking his mistress after she begins argue with him about his relationship with
his wife. Although Buchanan never exhibits explicit physical abuse toward his wife, he continually
displays emotional abuse through his controlling and manipulative nature. Her ultimate choice to remain
with him despite his neglect, violent nature and rampant affairs is tied directly to the idea of economic
dependence, as she lacks a career of her own and is concerned with the status and prestige that
Buchanan offers.
In addition to physical abuse in romantic relationships, physical abuse in parent- child
relationships also is reflected in literature and society alike. The sense of helplessness felt by an abused
child is vocalized perfectly in the song Concrete Angel, sung by Martina McBride (Bentley & Crosby,
2002). In this song, Martina McBride expresses the shame felt by a little girl whose father abuses her,
stating she hides the bruises with linen and lace and bearing the burden of a secret storm. These
lyrics reveal the secrecy that veils abuse of children, as the abused child may not know who to turn to or
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trust with the knowledge of their abuse. These psychological games that prevent children from reporting
parental abuse also occur in the novel The Secret Life of Bees, by: Sue Monk Kidd, where the main
characters abusive father attempts to break her down emotionally by telling her that she shot and killed
her own mother (Kidd, 2002). Although feelings of shame, horror and inadequacy keep Lily in her
abusive household for a long time, she eventually finds the strength to run away from her father,
realizing that seeking freedom is the only way to keep herself safe.
A final novel which touches on the theme of the cycle of poverty, as well as intense sexual,
physical and emotional abuse is the novel Push, by: Sapphire (Sapphire, 1996). Continuously beaten
down emotionally and physically by both her father and mother, the young African American
protagonist, Precious, continues to live in her family home, while raising a child that was a result of
impregnation by her father. Precious experiences unimaginable horrors at home and simply continues to
deal with them due to her young age, lack of economic resources and lack of voice. It is only after
meeting an inspiring teacher who encourages Precious to write down her thoughts in a journal and
empowers her to speak out about her oppressive situation that Precious truly understands the gravity of
what her parents subjected her to. This novel advocates for providing abused children with a much
needed voice, as they most likely have been isolated and silenced for most of their lives.
The themes of poverty and abuse have remained prevalent in literature and society for centuries.
However, oftentimes we fail to ask the question of what causes people to remain in difficult situations
rather than attempting to find a way out. Whether it is a lack of voice, economic dependence, or a deep
connection to ones family that causes those in abhorrent situations to remain, understanding the reasons
why people do remain can lend great insight into the lives of both our fellow humans and ourselves.

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Works Cited
Bentley, S. & Crosby, R. (2002). Concrete angel [Recorded by Martina McBride]. On Greatest Hits
[CD]. Nashville, TN: RCA Nashville.

Bien, L. (2014). A complete timeline of the Ray Rice assault case. SB Nation. Retrieved from
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/5/23/5744964/ray-rice-arrest-assault-statement-apology-
ravens
Cisneros, S. (1984). The house on mango street. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Dessen, S. (2004). Dreamland. New York, NY: Speak.
Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The great gatsby. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Haddix, M. P. (1996). Dont you dare read this, mrs. dunphrey. Simon Pulse.
Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Kidd, S. M. (2002). The secret life of bees. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Klass, P. (2013). Poverty as a childhood disease. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/poverty-as-a-childhood-
disease/?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar
Musick, K. & Mare, R. D. (2004). Family structure, intergenerational mobility and the reproduction of
poverty: Evidence for increasing polarization?. Demography, 41(4), pp. 629-648. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1515223
Poverty Reduction Begins with Children. (2000). New York: United Nations Childrens Fund. Retrieved
from
http://www.albacharia.ma/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/30755/0512Poverty%20Reduction
%20Begins%20with%20Children%20%282000%29.pdf?sequence=1
Sapphire. (1996). Push. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Steinbeck, J. (1939). The Grapes of Wrath. Los Gatos, CA: The Viking Press.
Strube, M. J. & Barbour, L. S. (1983). The decision to leave an abusive relationship: Economic
dependence and psychological hardship. Journal of Marriage and Family, 45(4), pp. 785-793.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/351791
Tiesel, J. W. & Olson, D. H. (1992). Preventing family problems: Troubling trends and promising
opportunities. Family Relations, 14(4), pp. 398-403. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/585581
Walls, J. (2005). The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner.


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