Kapsch 1

Born in a Dump: Depictions of Poverty in Childrens Literature, 1880 1!!0

Colleen Kapsch

"D1#$: %ace, Class, and &ender in the 'istory of ()*) "ducation Dr) +ohn Perella 8 ,u-ust $01.

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Childrens stories may appear simple on the surface, even naive, /ut nothin- could /e further from the truth) 0hen a parent reads a story to a child, the child learns many important lessons: he learns a/out the richness of ima-ination, the 1oys of illustrations, and the melody of 2ords) 'e also learns another lesson that is often overloo3ed) 0hen a child hears a story, he discovers the values, ta/oos, and mores of the culture around him) *tories are thus part of a childs informal education, and they shape his understandin- of the 2orld as much as the schools formal curriculum) 4uch li3e the school curriculum, childrens /oo3s can also reinforce societal ine5uities and po2er structures) Because they are situated so firmly in a specific time and place, stories 2ritten for children -ive insi-ht into ho2 a society understands family, reli-ion, morality, and 2ealth) 6hey are a particularly valua/le lens throu-h 2hich to see ho2 these values evolve over time) 7t is throu-h this lens that 7 e8amine depictions of poverty in ,merican childrens literature from 1880 to 1!!0) 6hree /oo3s illustrate ho2 depictions of poor children chan-ed durin- this period: 9ive Little Peppers and 'o2 6hey &re2, 6he Bo8car Children, and 4aniac 4a-ee) 9ive Little Peppers and 6he Bo8car Children, 2ritten in 1881 and 1!$:, respectively, romantici;e poverty to teach youn- readers the values of family and hard 2or3) 4aniac 4a-ee, 2ritten in 1!!0, complicates this romantici;ed portrait /y ac3no2led-in- the emotional toll of poverty)

6he father died 2hen Phronsie 2as a /a/y and since then 4rs) Pepper had had hard 2or3 to scrape to-ether money enou-h to put /read into her childrens mouths and to pay the rent on the Little Bro2n 'ouse) 9ive Little Peppers and 'o2 6hey &re2, 1881 6he 18<0s and 1880s 2ere a time of immense economic chan-e in ,merica) Descri/ed /y (r/an and 0a-oner =$00!> as a period of ?hi-h industriali;ation,@ these years sa2 the ?emer-ence of visi/le e8tremes of 2ealth and poverty@ =p) 18#>) 6he divide /et2een the classes

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2as particularly visi/le in ur/an areas, 2here rich industrialists lived alon-side people 2ho could /arely afford to feed their families) 4ar-aret *idneys popular childrens /oo3 9ive Little Peppers and 'o2 6hey &re2 descri/es the life of one such poor family) 0ritten in 1881, 9ive Little Peppers is the story of five children and their mother 2ho never have enou-h food, candles, or clothin-) 0hat the Peppers lac3 in possessions, ho2ever, they ma3e up for 2ith love for their family) Ben and Polly, the eldest of the five, ta3e on the /runt of carin- for the family) 6hey ma3e do 2ith 2hat little they have, and they never fail to see the 1oys in their simple lifestyle) 6he Peppers dont vie2 their poverty ne-atively) An the contrary, it affords them a measure of contentment that the 2ealthy lac3) 7n the /oo3s first pa-es, Phronsie, the youn-est child, reminds her /rother that ?they are really very dreadful rich,@ and their mother concurs: ?4others rich enou-h, if 2e can only 3eep to-ether, dears, and -ro2 up -ood, so that the Little Bro2n 'ouse 2ont /e ashamed of us, thats all 7 as3@ =*idney, 1881, p) $0>) 6his depiction of the family as ?rich in love@ pervades the entirety of the story) 7ndeed, the Peppers are the envy of 2ealthy families 2hose lives lac3 the simple pleasures of /a3in-, storytellin-, and si/lincompanionship) +asper Kin-, a youn- /oy 2ho visits the Peppers and later convinces his father to ta3e them in, is entranced /y the atmosphere of the Little Bro2n 'ouse 2here the Peppers live) ,s they put a2ay dishes, +asper tells Polly ho2 he lon-s for a life li3e hers: ?Ah, 7 should thin3 youd have real -ood timesB@ said the /oy enviously) ?7 havent a sin-le sister or /rother)@ ?'avent youC@ said Polly, loo3in- at him in e8treme pity) ?Des, 2e do have real fun,@ she added, ans2erin- his 5uestionin- loo3E ?the house is 1ust /rimful sometimes, even if 2e are poor@ =p) 1<1>) 9or Polly, as for her mother, the company of her /rothers and sisters ma3es her ?rich)@ 'er family -ives her a reason to /e happy, and her mem/ership in the family affords her a 3ind of protection and 2ealth that has nothin- to do 2ith material -oods)

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6he desire to care for their family motivates the Pepper children to 2or3 hard) 6heir mother does piece2or3 throu-hout the day, and Ben does odd 1o/s to /rin- in e8tra money) 6he other Pepper children are responsi/le for 3eepin- the house in -ood order) ,fter Ben cheerfully -oes to 2or3 each day, Polly scru/s the 3itchen, /a3es ca3es, and loo3s after +oel, Davie, and Phronsie) 6he youn- children also see3 every opportunity to care for the house) 6hey help /y runnin- errands, choppin- 2ood, and 2ashin- the dishes) Phronsie in particular tries to lend a hand) "ven thou-h her help often causes more trou/le than its 2orth, Polly al2ays lets Phronsie help /ecause 2or3 is Phronsies ?intense deli-ht@: ?*o Polly -ot the little 2ooden tu/ that she al2ays used, -ave Phronsie the 2ell 2orn cup nap3in, and allo2ed her to 2ipe the handleless cups and crac3ed saucers, 2hich afforded the little one intense deli-ht@ =*idney, 1881, p) #0>) Phronsie 2ants nothin- more than to help in 2hatever 2ay she can, and she sees 2or3 as the most tan-i/le 2ay to /e a mem/er of the family) (ltimately, the Peppers stron- family /ond and their unmatched 2or3 ethic endears them to everyone around them, includin- the 2ealthy Kin- family) Li3e his son +asper, 4r) Kin- loves the Pepper children, and he is particularly fond of Polly and Phronsie) 'e eventually as3s Polly to come to the city to 3eep +asper company) 6o entice her to ma3e the sacrifice of leavin- her family, he offers her private tutorin- in 9rench and music) 0hen Polly is initially reluctant to accept 4r) Kin-s offer, 4rs) Pepper /e-ins to cry and says, ?Ah, Polly, 1ust thin3 2hat a comfort youll /e to me and us all) 0hy, youll /e the ma3in- of usB@ =*idney, 1881, p) $<8>) 9or 4rs) Pepper, the prospect of education is a re2ard for Pollys dedication and /rin-s 2ith it the prospect of a /etter life for the entire family) ,rmed 2ith the reassurances of her mother, Polly finally decides to -o to the city and /e-in her education)

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,t the Kin- mansion as at the Little Bro2n 'ouse, Polly is al2ays 2or3in-) 0hile her tas3s are decidedly more refined =she practices the piano daily and completes 9rench home2or3>, Polly never ceases to approach her 2or3 2ith -ood cheer: ?"very chance she could -et, Polly 2ould steal a2ay into the dra2in- room from +asper and the three /oys and all the attractions they could offer, and la/oriously 2or3 over and over at e8ercises that 2ere to /e steppin- stones to so much that 2as -lorious /eyond@ =*idney, 1881, p) $!$>) ,s she practices, Polly reminds herself of the pride she 2ill /rin- to her mother and her si/lin-s) Pollys 2or3 ethic is unmatched, /ut she is unhappy) 9or the first time in her life, she is a2ay from her family, and her 2or3 seems futile 2hen she cannot share it 2ith those she loves) 7n an effort to cheer her up, 4r) Kin- invites the other Peppers to visit the city and stay at his mansion) 7n a -rand deus e8 machina that is typical of childrens literature of the period, 4r) Kin- finds the 2hole family so charmin- that he as3s 4rs) Pepper to /ecome his house3eeper and live in the mansion 2ith her children) 6he Peppers are shoc3ed /y this turn of events, and +asper is overcome /y the prospect of havin- /rothers and sisters) ,t the end of the story, all of the children ma3e plans to live happily ever after in the /i-, ?/e you ti ful@ house =*idney, 1881>) 9ive Little Peppers sends its youn- readers a clear messa-e: as mem/ers of a family, children have a responsi/ility to 2or3 hard) 6hey must ta3e up their tas3s 2ithout complaint, and they should offer to help 2ith e8tra 2or3 2ithout /ein- as3ed) 7f a child does this, the /oo3 su--ests, his hard 2or3 2ill /e ac3no2led-ed and reco-nition 2ill come his 2ay, prefera/ly in the form of a 2ealthy friend or relative) Ane must not e8pect a re2ard, thou-h) 0or3, 2hether it is hard la/or or ?2or3 of the mind@, should /e done for the pure pleasure of it) Parado8ically, readers of this /oo3 learn that only those 2ho are content 2ith their lot have the opportunity to

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rise a/ove it) 'o2ever, /y offerin- an unrealistic escape from poverty, 9ive Little Peppers serves to reinforce the divisions /et2een ?rich@ and ?poor@ rather than challen-in- them)

?0ell, Benny,@ ans2ered +essie, ?2ell -o e8plorin- and loo3in- for treasures) 0ell /e-in here at the car and loo3 and loo3 until 2e find a dump)@ 6he Bo8car Children, 1!$: 0ritten in 1!$:, &ertrude Chandler 0arners 6he Bo8car Children tells the story of the four ,lden children 2ho are orphaned after the death of their alcoholic father)1 *ituated in the midst of a decade that sa2 massive social chan-e, from 2omens suffra-e to Prohi/ition and mass consumerism, the /oo3 see3s to protect traditional ,n-lo *a8on Protestant values, includin- the importance of family and hard 2or3) 0hen 6he Bo8car Children opens, the children as3 the to2n /a3er if they can spend the ni-ht in her store) 6hey soon discover, ho2ever, that the /a3er intends to send the youn-est child, Benny, to a childrens home 2hile puttin- 'enry, +essie, and Giolet to 2or3 in the /a3ery) 6errified /y the prospect of /einseparated, the children leave the /a3ery in the middle of the ni-ht and spend the ne8t several days hidin- in hay /ales and eatin- stale /read) 6hey eventually find their 2ay to an a/andoned /o8car in the 2oods, 2here they set up house) ,s in the Pepper family, the eldest ,lden children, 'enry and +essie, are responsi/le for carin- for their youn-er si/lin-s) Promptly after findin- the /o8car for shelter, 'enry heads to to2n and finds a 1o/ tendin- the la2n of a 3ind doctor) 7ndeed, ?'enry 2as so ea-er to /e-in 2or3 that he ran all the 2ay to to2n@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) <1>) +essie has her o2n 2or3 to do: she ta3es the youn-er children e8plorin- in the dump) 0hen Benny as3s 2here theyre -oin-, +essie says, ?0ell, Benny, 2ell -o e8plorin- and loo3 for treasures) 0ell /e-in here at the car and loo3 and loo3 until 2e find a dump@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) :<>) 6here is no
1 Later editions of the /oo3 neatly s3irt the fathers drun3enness /y /e-innin- after his death) 6he 1!$: edition, ho2ever, opens 2ith 'enry, the eldest child, helpin- his drun3 father ?up the ric3ety front steps of the old tum/le do2n house)@

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shame in visitin- the dump to find old tin cans, dishes, and /ottlesE the children are rather thrilled to discover all of these ?treasures)@ ,fter scru//in- and polishin- the chipped 3ettles and tea cups, the children proudly display them on a /oard in the /o8car) 7t is hard 2or3 livin- in the /o8car: the children have to /uild their o2n fire pit, 2ash their clothes in the /roo3, and ma3e their /eds out of pine needles) 6hese tas3s do not trou/le them, ho2ever, /ecause they love helpin- one another and ta3e pleasure in all of their 2or3) Ane *unday afternoon, for e8ample, the children decide to dam the /roo3 in order to ma3e a s2immin- pool) 6hey spend most of the day movin- roc3s and heavy /oards, /ut they never seem to tire: ?7t 2as hard 2or3 /uildin- the dam, /ut the children li3ed hard 2or3@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) 8F>) 7n no time at all, the children have a natural pool 2here they s2im, 2ash clothes, and clean dishes) 6hey deli-ht in their 2or3 and spend the rest of the day splashin- and playin-) 6hey /rin- the same -ood cheer to their 2or3 2ith Dr) 4oore 2hen he as3s them to pic3 cherries in his orchard) 6he doctor praises the children for their 1oyful disposition: ?Dou see, you are /etter than most 2or3ers, /ecause you are so happy) Come a-ain@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) !8>) 6hrou-hout the novel, Dr) 4oore offers 'enry e8tra money and food /ecause of his -ood temperament) 4uch li3e 4r) Kin- in 9ive Little Peppers, Dr) 4oore ta3es an interest in the ,ldens and tries to care for them) 'e offers 'enry and the other children odd 1o/s, and he secretly follo2s them /ac3 to the /o8car to ma3e sure they are safe) Dr) 4oore also ta3es it upon himself to find the ,ldens 2ealthy -randfather, 4r) ,lden, 2ho lives in a near/y to2n) ,t the end of the story, Dr) 4oore invites 4r) ,lden to meet the children) 6he children ta3e an immediate li3in- to the old man, 2ho eventually reveals that he is their -randfather) 6he ,lden children soon move to their -randfathers house, 2here they each have their o2n /edroom filled 2ith toys and flo2ers)

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(nsurprisin-ly, the house is ?/eautiful@ and ?filled 2ith maids@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1::>) 6he children love their ne2 home /ut, in a ironic t2ist, they miss the simple pleasures of life in the /o8car) 6he narrator 2onders, ?0ould you ever thin3 that four children could /e homesic3 in such a /eautiful houseC@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F1>) 0hen +essie says she 2ishes she could coo3, her -randfather tells her that the maids 2ill help her prepare any dish she desires =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F1>) +essie appreciates her -randfathers offer, /ut ?it 2as not li3e the old days in the /o8car@ =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F1>) Benny too 2ishes he could drin3 out of his old crac3ed mu- even thou-h he is surrounded /y lu8ury =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F1>) 9inally, their -randfather decides to transport the old /o8car to the /ac3yard of the mansion so the children can play there =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F.>) "veryone is so thrilled /y this solution that they ma3e plans to live ?happily ever after@ in the mansion =0arner, 1!$:, p) 1F:>) 6he ,lden children are rescued from poverty, /ut they can revisit the pleasant memories of it 2henever they please) 6he Bo8car Children thus creates a similarly romantici;ed vie2 of poverty as 9ive Little Peppers) 6he Peppers and the ,ldens are ideali;ed portrayals of children 2ho love their families as much as they love their 2or3) 6hey are perfectly happy ?usin- up and ma3in- do)@ Because they hold these values, the children are re2arded 2ith a /etter life) 7t is not a very lar-e leap to assume that a child readin- these /oo3s 2ould hope to end up e8actly li3e these fictional children) Bein- cheerfully content 2ith poverty, it 2ould seem, is the only 2ay to escape it) ,s for the Peppers, ho2ever, this unrealistic move from the lo2er class to the upper class su--ests that hard2or3in-, cheerful children are al2ays re2arded) 6he fact that such mo/ility 2as rare in the 1!$0s served to crystalli;e the po2er structure that already e8isted)

6hey say 4aniac 4a-ee 2as /orn in a dump) 6hey say his stomach 2as a cereal /o8 and his heart 2as a sofa sprin-)

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4aniac 4a-ee, 1!!0 4any thin-s had chan-ed for children /y 1!!0, and these chan-es 2ere reflected in their /oo3s) 4ost children had to attend school all day, and parents no lon-er e8pected their younchildren to -et 1o/s outside the home) "ven if they did, most employers 2ouldnt hire children to 2or3 as Ben Pepper and 'enry ,lden did) 0hile 3ids still read 9ive Little Peppers and 6he Bo8car Children, these /oo3s seemed far too idealistic in a time 2hen the structural causes of poverty 2ere 2idely ac3no2led-ed and often considered insurmounta/le) 7f it 2as no lon-er realistic for a child to cheerfully 2or3 his 2ay out of poverty, then 2hat other choice did he haveC 0ritten in 1!!0, 4aniac 4a-ee is the story of eleven year old +effrey 4a-ee, an orphan 2ho runs a2ay from his aunt and uncles home after his parents die in a train 2rec3) ,fter leavin- home, +effrey 2anders from to2n to to2n, relyin- on the 3indness of stran-ers for food and a place to sleep) 'e often runs from place to place, and this is ho2 he ac5uires the nic3name ?4aniac)@ (nli3e the Peppers and the ,ldens, 4aniac doesnt have si/lin- companions, and he cant find 2or3 2ith nei-h/ors or shop3eepers) 6he only relia/le place he finds to sleep is in the /uffalo pen at the "lm2ood Par3 Hoo) 4aniac is also teased for his scruffy appearance: his shoes are al2ays fallin- apart, and the other children start rumors that he 2as /orn in a dump =*pinelli, 1!!0, p) 1>) 'is /est friend ,manda tells him that the cant -et a li/rary card /ecause he doesnt have an address =*pinelli, 1!!0, p) ##>) 4aniacs poverty is much harsher than anythin- in 9ive Little Peppers or 6he Bo8car Children) 6here is no sense of companionship for 4aniac, and /ein- poor certainly isnt a fun adventure as it 2as for the Peppers and the ,ldens) 7t doesnt matter if 4aniac loves his family /ecause his aunt and uncle dont love himE it doesnt matter that 4aniac is 2illin- to 2or3

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/ecause no one 2ill hire him) 'is only consistent 1o/, doin- yard 2or3 2ith an old man named &rayson, comes to an a/rupt end 2hen &rayson dies in his sleep) 4ost tellin-ly, the /oo3 doesnt leave the reader 2ith a happy endin-) 0e 3no2 that 4aniac is -oin- to live 2ith his friend ,manda, /ut there is no -uarantee that he 2ont end up /ac3 on the streets) *pinellis star3ly honest depiction of 4aniacs poverty is a far cry from the romanticism of 9ive Little Peppers and 6he Bo8car Children) 4acLeod =1!!:> attri/utes this chan-e to the social revolutions of the 1!<0s, 2hen topics li3e poverty, se8uality, death, and divorce /ecame accepta/le su/1ects for childrens literature) Certainly this e8plains part, /ut not all, of the difference /et2een 9ive Little Peppers, 6he Bo8car Children, and 4aniac 4a-ee) 7t is not enou-h to say that /oo3s could no2 feature poor childrenE it seems far more accurate to say that childrens literature could no2 descri/e the realities of life for poor children) 6his is not to say that 4aniacs story is entirely realistic he lives in a /uffalo pen for part of the /oo3, after all /ut it is a more sensitive and comple8 portrayal of the emotions of a child in poverty) (nli3e the Peppers or the ,ldens, 4aniac feels lonely, envious, suspicious, and an-ry, and the reader 2atches him confront these feelin-s) 'e ma3es real pro-ress /y the end of the story, thou-h: he is finally a/le to accept the companionship of friends and offers of help from adults) 6he /oo3 doesnt promise that 4aniac 2ill no2 have a perfect life, /ut in some 2ays that is more comfortin- than an e8trava-ant deus e8 machina) 6here is hope for 4aniac /ut, li3e many contemporary children livin- in poverty, he cant assume that a 2ealthy relative 2ill save the day) 4aniac must ma3e his o2n 2ay)

9ive Little Peppers, 6he Bo8car Children, and 4aniac 4a-ee offer three depictions of poverty in childrens literature) 9or the children in 9ive Little Peppers and 6he Bo8car Children,

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/ein- poor teaches the value of family and hard 2or3, values that youn- readers of these /oo3s li3ely sou-ht to emulate) 4aniac 4a-ee presents a much dar3er and ar-ua/ly more realistic picture of a poor childs e8perience) ,ll three stories, ho2ever, end 2ith a measure of hope) 6he true 5uestion, thou-h, is 2hether real children livin- in poverty can find the same hope and the same opportunities as the fictional children in these /oo3s)

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%eferences

4acLeod, ,) *) =1!!:>) "pilo-ue) ,merican childhood: essays on childrenIs literature of the nineteenth and t2entieth centuries =pp) $10 $1F>) ,thens: (niversity of &eor-ia Press) *idney, 4) =1881>) 9ive little Peppers and ho2 they -re2) Boston: Lothrop, Lee, and *hepard Company) *pinelli, +) =1!!0>) 4aniac 4a-ee: a novel) Boston: Little, Bro2n) (r/an, 0) +), J 0a-oner, +) L) =$00!>) Ar-ani;in- the modern school system: educational reform in the Pro-ressive era, 18!0 1!1F) ,merican "ducation: , 'istory =:th ed), pp) $$. $#:>) Ke2 Dor3, KD: %outled-e) 0arner, &) C) =1!$:>) 6he Bo8 Car Children) Pro1ect &uten/er-) %etrieved ,u-ust 1, $01., from 222)-uten/er-)or-LfilesL:$<!#L:$<!# hL:$<!# h)htm 0arner, &) C) =1!<<>) 6he /o8car children) Chica-o: ,l/ert 0hitman)