Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive Literary Elements

Nonfiction / Biography

Set in the Pacific Northwest in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

It is narrated in first person from Stephanie’s point of view.

Honest, Somber, Angry, Optimistic

The protagonist is Stephanie Land and the antagonist is poverty.

The memoir charts Land’s formative years and life as a single mother living below the poverty line. The novel delves into the underbelly of the American upper class as it reveals the disparity between the rich and poor.

When Land gets into an accident with her daughter and makes significant changes in her life.

The foreword in the novel foreshadows the lack of mainstream stereotypes about poverty and the blue-collar workers in America.

N/A

The memoir alludes to the misconception about poverty and the red tape involved in the programs and government assistance.

“We walked into a narrow entryway; the front door sat opposite the bathroom. Right away I noticed the tub, where Mia and I could take a bath together. We hadn’t had the luxury of a tub in a long time. Our two bedrooms were on the right. Each had a window that faced the road. In the tiny kitchen, the refrigerator door grazed the cupboards on the opposite side. I walked across the large white tiles, which resembled the floor at the shelter, and opened the door to a small outdoor deck. It was just wide enough where I could sit with my legs stretched out.”

“We were expected to live off minimum wage, to work several jobs at varying hours, to afford basic needs while fighting for safe places to leave our children. Somehow nobody saw the work; they saw only the results of living a life that constantly crushed you with its impossibility.”

“Always late for something. Always in the car. Always in a rush to finish meals and clean up. Always moving, barely pausing to take a breath.”

“He’s such a teddy bear.”

“My brain, stomach, nerves, everything was on constant high alert.”