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Although she had originally planned to earn a college degree and become a writer, Stephanie Land became pregnant and had to take up a job as a maid to support herself and her daughter. This meant she had to live in poverty, struggling to secure government aid and grants. She endured a hellish experience and came out much better than she could have imagined. Her story is one of hardship and perseverance in the face of abuse and poverty.
Key points
1
The poor lack access to any kind of real financial assistance and are made to jump through hoops for the little they’re offered
“Maid” is a kind of memoir for the poor, not just for Stephanie Land and her family, as it takes us on a journey of survival and the struggles of individuals and families with low incomes. As is the case of many women living in the U.S., Land had big dreams and wanted to live “The American Dream.” But her world was thrown into confusion when she got pregnant by her runaway partner and had to fend for her and the baby’s welfare.
She had a dream of becoming a writer, a dream which stemmed from her love for books growing up. She was going to save up, move to Missoula, which had a creative writing program at the University of Montana. She had to settle for low paying jobs in and around the city. This is the fate of many other women such as herself who have a dream but don’t have the funds to achieve it presently; they have to resort to settling for these menial jobs. This is in part due to the absence of a financial safety plan for low-earning workers with poor access to social services.
She had a dream of becoming a writer, a dream which stemmed from her love for books growing up. She was going to save up, move to Missoula, which had a creative writing program at the University of Montana. She had to settle for low paying jobs in and around the city. This is the fate of many other women such as herself who have a dream but don’t have the funds to achieve it presently; they have to resort to settling for these menial jobs. This is in part due to the absence of a financial safety plan for low-earning workers with poor access to social services.
There is little financial aid for the people that need it the most, and even when it’s available, they have to jump through maddening hoops.
She had a plan to create financial independence in order to achieve her dream, but now she had a child. The support of social services wasn’t enough to take care of her and the baby, and also leave enough for savings. This fate awaits and plagues the many families living in poverty, one where they’re never left with enough credit to save or better their lives. Land had to endure this as a single mother and was tasked to find a way to come out on top.
Despite the odds stacked against her, Land was able to work hard enough to keep herself and her child alive through to the next day at least.
Her story is one that should inspire and steer those just like her onto a path of self-improvement, and the fight against a multitude of obstacles and how even you can come out on top. The first notable theme in the book is the gross absence of financial cover for the poor in the US, this theme is recurrent throughout the book as Land combats her daily maid work and is reminded of how much better the lives of her clients are compared to hers. She required funds to start her march toward self-empowerment but would not get enough to do so, and this same is to be said for the less privileged in the U.S.
2
The fight against poverty is rigged, leaving the poor to remain poor
Another theme that is laid bare is the futility of solving the problem of poverty. The struggle embarked upon by Land is one that isn’t usually successful and consumes most that venture into it. This intractability of poverty is helped along by the limited familial support in the lives of single mothers such as Land.
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3
The low – income workers are seen as lazy freeloaders and the system can choose to deny them access to government aid on a whim
4
The kind of work available for the poor isn’t sufficient to bring one out of poverty, keeping the cycle of dependence on menial jobs going
5
It pays to take a step back and really appreciate the good things in your life
6
A sense of community is such an important factor coming out from pits such as poverty and abuse
7
