Essay Questions

Explore the theme of poverty, as presented in Matthew Desmond’s Evicted.

Poverty as a theme is well presented in Evicted as the story follows the lives of impoverished families evicted from their homes following a financial crisis. The families are kicked out of their homes following their inability to settle the rent. Additionally, the victims are also part of oppression that is based on racial profiling and deep-rooted discrimination of African Americans.

Show how racial discrimination is presented in Desmond’s Evicted.

The eviction that is presented in the novel is a backdrop to a more devastating facet of the society in which the novel is set, that is, racial discrimination. White tenants are presented as being part of the reason that landlords kick out black tenants who are only a few months behind on their monthly rent. The landlords do not pay any attention to the hardships that these families are going through.

Show how suffering, frustration, and drug abuse are portrayed in Mathew Desmond’s Evicted.

Scott is a character that acutely expresses the theme of frustration, suffering, and drug abuse in Desmond’s novel, Evicted. After Scott is fired from his job, he loses his home a situation that takes a toll on his life. Frustrated by the sudden turn of events, Scott takes to drug abuse in an attempt to find solace. However, this causes him to end up in the rehabilitation center where he also faces a lot of hostility. In this way, the writer attempts to explore these themes.