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Summary Of Spare Change By Andresa Zsuffa

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In Teresa Zsuffa’s essay “Spare Change,” which appears in The College Writer, the author reflects on her encounter with a 21-year-old prostitute from Sudbury. They meet in the subway Zsuffa is making her way back to Niagara Falls, while the prostitute is on her way to pick up her 42-year-old, crack addict, boyfriend, who spent the last 10 months in jail. She mentions the looks of judgment from strangers about her looks that are lacking in comparison from the designer brands and put together clothes that they wear. Even with the fact that they are complete strangers, Zsuffa buys her breakfast and gives her railway passes and hopes she is okay after they part ways. While the essay tends to emphasize the differences between the girls, it also illustrates the deeper similarities that they both portray. …show more content…

Teresa Zsuffa could have followed the lead of the other people in the subway and ignored her completely, but she did the opposite. Not only did Zsuffa take her to city hall, but she also says, “Next thing I, know I’m offering to buy her breakfast before she meets up with her boyfriend” (154). The girl was a stranger, but Zsuffa could not let her leave her looking so helpless. She went beyond what any stranger would have done. As for the prostitute, even with all the judgment that she was receiving, she still kindly asked Zsuffa is she needed help carrying her bags. Similarly, when Zsuffa offered to pay for whatever she wanted for breakfast, the prostitute still went with the cheapest option. She did not take advantage of the opportunity to get as much as she could, and only got what she thought she

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