Laughter in Nickle and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed provokes a range of responses in the reader, the most surprising of which is laughter. However, this laughter is problematic, because it is not consistent throughout the text. Ehrenreich seems to be unsure as to whether or not she desires to use a sarcastic tone when describing her experiences as a member of the working class, if she finds the situations she is in actually humourous, or if she really believes she has become part of the working class, and her humor is unintentional. In return this confuses the readers, and distracts them from understanding the overall purpose of her writing. Now the first thing a reader might laugh at when reading this text is what Ehrenreich calls "reassuring limitations" (5). In a situation where Ehrenreich is suppose to be "getting [her] hands dirty" (4) by submerging herself into the lifestyle of the working class, it is amusing to find her driving around in a car from job to job with $1300 to start up with, and a credit card practically in her back pocket ready to be used if it means that it would keep her from going hungry or becoming homeless. Ehrenreich disallows herself to truly become a "wage slave" (2) in this sense, because a person who i
Even though this is Ehrenreich's first time at developing an illness while living the lifestyle of the working class, it is funny how the reader can almost predict that she will "cheat" and call a doctor, the same way she has "cheated" in other ways. These are the only circumstances in the text that show the reader that Ehrenreich has a desire to embrace her situation fully, but it is displayed in such a sarcastic way that any respect the reader might give her for this, would also be taken away at the same time. After reading this, a person might question whether Ehrenreich's experience is a real representation of what the working class life is like, and snicker at her weak attempts to "cheat" through this lifestyle. It is hilarious to watch her face the consequences of her experimentation, as she over dramatizes her weekend of detox. s really a part of the working class does not have a car, can not afford to pay three months worth of rent on an apartment, and does constantly worry about finding a place to stay or having any food to eat. The funniest part of the text however, occurs while Ehrenreich is working for the Maids in Maine. Ehrenreich is aware that it is a requirement for people to pass a drug test for many jobs available to the working class, yet she still chooses to participate in the drug use. Again, this makes the reader wonder just why Ehrenreich has ventured out into the world of the working class if she is not going to put her full effort into the situation. Since Ehrenreich does not have to truly fear making good tips, or being fired for not doing her work well enough like the working poor, she is able to sarcastically illustrate her need to take on each job and "do it better than anyone has ever done it before" (18) In Florida she turns herself into a super-hero who needs to save the people she is waiting on from their "vulnerability that seems to have left them unable to feed themselves" (18). There is no consistency, other than the steady knowledge and use of Ehrenreich's ties outside the working class, which only take away meaningfulness from her text. The amusement found through out the book causes the readers to laugh, but in regards to how hard Ehrenreich got around the working class system, instead of truly taking it on. In this situation the dramatics Ehrenreich creates might puzzle readers as to why she chooses to use marijuana, wondering if she is taking her "undercover" (6) experience seriously enough. She even goes as far as to avoid eating any salt products, "since salt encourages water retention" (129) that might keep her from flushing out anything bad in her body. So predictably, for thirty more dollars, Ehrenreich is able to get some prescription pills and cream from a dermatologist that she knows from home.
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