The Ranges of Hunger

Abstract

Working class people have continually found themselves in unfortunate conditions that they are unable to fully escape from as chronicled in American Working Class Literature: An Anthology. Themes of hunger are present in working class people’s everyday lives. For the working class it is a constant struggle to have enough to prevent starvation. However, the reader may be surprised to find metaphorical hunger is a more relatable phenomena. The wealthiest person can be lacking where it counts and find money does not solve everything. Working class members remain vulnerable to the consequences of choices they must make to satisfy hunger that higher class members do not have to worry about. This group has few indulgences as a result but take pride in providing for the masses. However, working class people are constantly being denied the fulfillment of basic human rights by those who mistreat them and benefit from their labor. Yet, hope glimmers in many of the essays, poems, and songs. In American Working Class Literature: An Anthology, the recurring theme of physical and metaphorical hunger, and the need to satisfy it with the hopes of feeling more human as a result are significant enough to make any reader reconsider the value of the fulfillment of this basic luxury. As a result, the outcome of the life of a working class member is heavily influenced by the choices they make regarding hunger, their pride in their work, and the desire for the gratification from those who disregard them.