Analysis of the Issue of Inequality in 'Gloria' Denzil Gomes 9th Grade

Of central importance to he short story “Gloria” by Suchen Christine Lim is the theme of inequality. It is a theme prevalent in the story ‘Gloria’, where a domestic helper experiences inequality while working in Singapore. As Gloria, who is the helper employed, is from the Philippines, she is discriminated by her employer who is Singaporean. Inequality can be observed in various aspects- discrimination, prejudice, injustice and poverty- in ‘Gloria’. Gloria is written by Suchen Christine Lim who was born in Ipoh in Malaysia but later moved to Singapore to study, thus this story may have originated from her empathy with foreigners living Singapore or in her observations of the way foreigners, especially those who do ‘unwanted’ jobs are treated unequally by Singapore citizens. Written in 2007, this short story was intended to highlight the plight of foreigners who experience prejudice as they struggle to earn money in Singapore to send back to their home.

Poverty is a condition that Gloria’s background is plagued with, unintentionally having ten mouths to feed as a result of a relationship with an abusive boyfriend. People who are poorer value their resources more whereas those who are well-off are more wasteful. “We don’t eat...