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I really like the way this article compared Nickel and Dimed to Grapes of Wrath as well. What gives the opressed worker reason to live besides hope? GOW used hope and anger as a way to brew the long plot, which eventually escalated into unity and seemed to be heading for an revolution of the low class. I feel like our country is now at a point where the workers still have hope in our society and have not realized the importance of unity, but when they do, a revolution could occur.

This quote shows the irrationality of perrys thoughts for they do not make sense as he hopes to dive for treasure but cannot swim. This also goes into the effects of his childhood.

"These babies died from a completely different kind of deprivation: lack of touch" "The results are clear: the way an infant is touched, even in its first few hours of life, influences whether it survives, and how it copes in the world as an adult." The monster in Frankenstein suffers bad beginnings, as his first experience is being abandoned by Victor, which later affects his behavior and the way he hopes with his problems.

This source is all about the optimism of the workers, and how the big corporations constantly tried to manipulate and/or stamp out the sparks of hope and dreams that the migrants had. They used the migrants' dreams against them

"...and she examines how corporations often strip employees of their dignity. Random locker searches and drug testing occur despite what she routinely observes to be honest, hard working co-workers"

That's true. But if you don't keep your employees absolutely paranoid and full of stress, it's possible they might rebel or cause insurrections. So of course, you HAVE to oppress them and take away their pride so that they'll have no self esteem or confidence left.

I agree with Evan because this quote displays a business tactic in which companies continuously strip their workers' of their rights, which leave them with very little hope. However, as seen in GOW, this little bit of hope, along with their lack of money, will allow these workers to stick to their jobs in these environments.

Discusses the conversion and corruption of the American dream, which becomes more materialistic and greedy than ever. Even Gatsby, the eternal optimist, an archetypal dreamer, makes his fortunes through underhanded, sneaky ways with his partner Wolfsheim.

Discusses the impact of setting on the plot and purpose of the novel, and how the various rich groups have corrupted the American dream from an innocent, ambitious hope for fortune into greed, debauchery, and misbehavior

Notice the diction the author uses: the American dream... stereotype. For ages it has been the hope for many and reality for some that people can live the American dream. Presidents have used it for slogans, it is a catchphrase that glistens in everyone's eye-- but now it is nothing but a stereotype, a goal not-so-true anymore. 

Interesting read about activists for anti-capitalism/environmentalist (ignore that fact) and their conclusion that working reform with the system doesn't work. Now, they see the light, and the only thing left for each of them, is subversiveness and action against the institution. 

This helps show the beginning of the narrator's process of maturity. He does not acknowledge the lack of trust nor the oppression against him. This helps show his blindness and ignorance

Although Sparknotes is a very stereotypcial website on novels, it's still a very effective source of information. It makes blatantly clear the fact that the rich, aristocratic upper class is mainly responsible for the poverty and economic devastation in the country. The rich get richer at the cost of the destruction of the lower class. The workers are treated poorly in an effort to keep them desperate, which in turn keeps the rich people rich. Selfishness and greed, key themes in practically every novel read so far, is clarified and pointed out. The condition of the migrants is no accident, it's an intentional, deliberate plot to oppress them. Their only hope is through unity.

"many of the farms literally dried up and blew away creating what became known as the "Dust Bowl." Driven by the Great Depression, drought, and dust storms, thousands of farmers packed up their families and made the difficult journey to California where they hoped to find work"

"California was emphatically not the promised land of the migrants' dreams" This was the common misconception that the migrant workers had, they believed and with good reason that when they reached california all of their struggles would disappear. This was not the case because of the 30% unemployment rate and the constant scheming of their employers to find the cheapest workers available, even if it caused children to starve.

Discusses the treatment of the Okies, their ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and why they were so disliked. It is pointed out how the Dust Bowl encompasses many universal human experiences such as the discomfort of displacement, cultural tensions, and discrimination.

"But there was not enough work for everyone who came. Instead of immediate riches, they often found squalor in roadside ditch encampments." This was exactly the problem for most of the migrant workers, including the Joads. They had false hope of finding a better life in California when in reality they had just been deceived by the higher ups .

This quote shows the constant battle between humans against nature and society. Nature and society is symbolic of the poor working conditions and few jobs that they must overcome. By displaying the theme of the fight for better conditions, Steinbeck parallels this with his theme of helping others to show their differences

This article describes the themes of "The Grapes of Wrath". For example, the article discusses the themes of class conflict and hope. The article is also a good source for examining the allusions and symbols which bolster the themes in the novel. The article will give support to a paper discussing the class struggle over time.

(Click the PDF full document at the top, it downloads the article) "In Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich paints the picture of millions of American workers who serve our tables, clean our houses, restock our stores, and take care of our parents. They are paid salaries with which no person can live in dignity, let alone with the hope of ever moving out of the low-class status in which they find themselves. She points out what many of us sense, but few dare articulate, namely that we are willing to accept a form of labor exploitation in our midst while at the same time decrying it in other parts of the world." Talks about how the lower class are all around us struggling, yet mostly we do not know they're there. Their salaries are exceptionally low, but they must try their best to make ends meet and work through the pain.

This quote can be seen as the modern day version of The Grapes of Wrath. As the cyclical theory repeats itsself in history, the people of modern time are experiencing the same problems as the migrant workers. The author again evokes the passion to show the consequences of the poor treatment of workers

This man read Nickel and Dimed and decided to more ambitiously test the situation of the poor by living the experience for a full year, with no money or car. He further sacrificed his lifestyle for the sake of journalism, and accomplished much more than Ehrenreich

It is interesting because Ehrenreich admits herself that the way she is conducting her experiment is somewhat inaccurate due to her possession of a car and emergency funds. This man is more dedicated and his findings are less biased.

I hope that this guy didn't whine about trivial bullshit (pardon my French) the whole time. Reading "Nickel and Dimed" was unbearable because of Ehrenreich's inability to cope with even the slightest change of plans. There was seriously a few paragraphs committed to how she can't handle caffeine and flips out when she has it, followed by her profound distress over having to call Menard's to ask about her possible wage.