Poverty: Structural Constraint or Moral Failing?

In our discussion of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn it was apparent that few of us are used to reading about poverty in a contemporary urban context. In the book, a loosely-fictionalized memoir of author Betty Smith's own experience growing up in a poor section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Francie continually confronts her impoverished situation. Her day to day escapades are often rooted in scrounging for scrap metal, pleading for deals from local shopkeepers, and dreaming of a world without the constraints of finances.

Francie's story has a happy ending, though it stands in sharp relief to the stories of countless others that Francie encounters in her Brooklyn: those who, despite their best efforts, cannot rise above the grip of poverty.

Smith depicts poverty as a structural obstacle, ever resistant to success and there to inundate whole families for any misstep - a lost job, an unexpected pregnancy, an ill-timed death. Though Smith does attribute a certain amount of agency to individuals, Francie's escape from Brooklyn is not wholly a Horatio Alger rags-to-riches celebration of pluck and talent. Certainly Katie's insistence that her children devote time and attention to reading from a young age bettered their chances, but it was largely Lady Luck who saved the Nolans: Katie's resilient beauty into middle age and the kindness of an old tavern-keeper are equal parties in their survival.

Do Psychopaths Dream of Electric Sheep?

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about psychopaths.  I think it all started Jarred Loughner and his deadly shooting rampage at Rep. Gabby Giffords constituent outreach event. Loughner sits in prison and said to be mentally ill with psychopathic tendencies, thus he is unable to stand trial. Then, I heard an episode of This American Life called The Psychopath Test and learned that one of the common traits of psychopathy is lack of empathy and remorse. This test - the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) - asks a series of questions about a person’s history. Through the responses one is supposed to be able to tell whether or not a person is a psychopath. This test is often given to criminals involved in murder cases. If the test results show that the person is a psychopath, their chances of ever getting parole are greatly diminished. There is a belief (with some supporting evidence) that those who score high on the PCL-R have no chance of recovery - they cannot change their destructive and un-empathetic behaviors because they were born with them.  

I got an eerie sensation when I realized the PCL-R was very similar to the Voight-Kampff test in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – a former Dead Authors Book Club pick.  It is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that asks a seemingly simple question "what does it mean to be a human?" In the same way, our criminal justice system gives the PCL-R to possible psychopaths, the police and bounty hunters in Electric Sheep give the Voight-Kampff test to potential androids.

Francie & Scout: Social Commentary Through the Eyes of Young Women

While there have been several books in our book club that I haven’t been thrilled about reading, I admit I was pretty excited to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  It’s not a book I’d read before, but I am a sucker for a good coming of age novel. I’ve always been intrigued by the early 1900s so I was interested in delving more deeply into that era with a good piece of fiction.

As I read about Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) I was frequently reminded of one of my other favorite literary young ladies – Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird (1960). I found Scout and Francie to be similar and a true joy to get to know. When Francie was reading on her balcony looking out onto the street, I was right there with her sweating in the summer heat.  And when Scout was poking around Boo Radley’s yard, I could not help but worry that Boo would catch me as well. But more than that, I found them both extremely sensitive to their environments and having strong sense of justice and humanism. They took the moral high ground not out of obligation, but out of practicality – it’s what made most sense to them.

Both books take place at a time of tumult in American society. Brooklyn takes place in a poor community in the later stages of the Industrial Revolution on the eve World War 1 during a time when many people were unable to find a job and a living wage. Mockingbird is set in Alabama just after the Great Depression and illustrates the deep roots of racism and intolerance in a small town. No child is oblivious to the tension in either case, but Scout and Francie are especially perceptive to what is going on around them even through the purview of a child. They go from thinking about playing outside and school work to looking deeply into the heart of poverty, intolerance and other complex societal norms.