Family Struggle In Salvage The Bones By Jesmyn Ward

In the novel Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward, Esch and her family struggles with life in the Pit, while also facing the incoming impact of Hurricane Katrina. The main reason for this struggle is poverty. Rural poverty in Mississippi is a very common and pressing issue. Many families live below the poverty line and are without important essentials, such as healthcare. The lives of these families are reflected through Esch and her own one. The plot of the book is rooted in the poverty of rural Mississippi and the fear and tragedy they experience from the hurricane. The author’s recurring theme of family proves that Esch’s family unite together to live with poverty and that their strength as a family allows them to survive Hurricane Katrina.

The poverty rate in this area is about 24.3%. The poverty rate of the United States as a whole lies around 12.7% (Current Poverty Rate). Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the country, and that is reflected through these statistics. One reason for the high poverty in the rural south may be heirs’ property. This is when the owner of property dies without a will, which makes it harder to lay claim to it or pass down inheritance (Davidson, Charles). Another reason is health because it is both a cause and effect of poverty. Families in poverty do not have access to affordable health care, which is why health an effect of poverty. It is a cause because those with health problems cannot always work and earn money. Another cause and effect of rural poverty is education. Areas that struggle financially often cannot provide a proper education to students. Without a proper education, it is difficult to get a job, which is why unemployment can also trace back to poverty (Jack, Leonard Jr.). Poverty also disproportionately affects African-Americans. Along with this, teen pregnancy and alcoholism is also more common in poor areas. Both of these situations can be seen in Salvage the Bones as Esch’s father struggles with alcoholism, and Esch finds herself pregnant at age fifteen. Her entire family faces the effects of poverty in the Pit. Along with these problems that stem from poverty, those in poverty in rural Mississippi also find themselves in a dangerous situation when a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina,