A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Poverty a Key Component

Journal Entry #1- Chapter 1-10: Poverty: Poverty is defined as the deprivation of food, shelter, money and clothing that occurs when people cannot satisfy their basic needs. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means vulnerability to violence, and it often implies living in fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. In short poverty is simply a lack of money, a barrier to everyday life. One third of deaths in the world are due to poverty related causes. Poverty is a big problem in America. I personally have never had to experience the hardships that poverty brings people. That doesn't mean I don't know what it can do to families. Poverty can either make or break a family. It can force closer and helps them find the strength to carry on, or it can tear them apart by causing arguments about money and food. Poverty is a key component in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In this novel characters constantly think about how poor they are. They are always thinking about how they will but their next loaf of bread, or what one neighborhood looks like compared to another. Every activity and game is planned around a limited amount of resources. The main characters aren't the only people going through hardships in the novel. The whole community has to face what the Nolan's are facing. Children are forced to collect garbage off the streets and sell it. After the children have collected their pennies store owners take advantage of them. They sell them candy and have them play games that they will never win. The games are always rigged so that the children won't win and the store owners will keep making money. The Nolan children are better than most when it comes to saving money. Neeley and Francie would split the money in the most fair way they could. Neeley was in charge of the money though, "'Eight cents for the bank.' That was the rule; half of the money they got from anywhere went into the tin