Poverty & trauma in

Salvage the Bones

Casandra R and Wendy U
 Table of contents
Poverty in the
Introduction book
01 A brief introduction to
02 How poverty is portrayed
the book in the book

Poverty in our
Poverty nowadays lives
03 How you can see poverty
04 How this ties into our
in the real world own lives

Introduction
This book tells the story of
Esch, a 15-year-old girl, and
her family living in Bois
Sauvage, Mississippi, from her
point of view.
● The story begins with China giving
birth to her pups.
● Esch’s dad is telling them to help him
●
prepare for the hurricane that is
approaching.
The kids, Esch, Skeetah, Junior, and
Randall, don't believe the hurricane is
a big deal, unlike dad, who says it is.
● Esch has sex with the boy she likes,
Manny.
● Esch learns she is pregnant.
● The dogs fall ill, and one of them dies.
● Dad loses fingers in an accident
● The hurricane finally comes.
 Types of poverty
The definition of poverty, according to the
Merriam-Webster dictionary, is:

The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of

money or material possessions

There are many different types of poverty

● Generational Poverty
● Absolute Poverty
● Rural Poverty

The family is facing trauma caused by these types of poverty and

how that traps them in this cycle that encaptures them and harms
them without them noticing.
“Violence occurs gradually and
out of sight, of delayed
destruction that is dispersed
across time and space, an
attritional violence that is
typically not viewed as violence
at all”
—Rob Nixon
Slow Violence in
the book
This book is an example of slow violence and how people in real life are
struggling in conditions just like Esch, yet we fail to notice them until it's too late
and something tragic occurs. This story demonstrates slow violence by
showing how their environment is contaminated and harming them, but it is
mostly ignored. The environment and their home are gradually deteriorating
and collapsing, breaking apart slowly. Yet the love and attachment they all
have to their home stops them from leaving, besides the fact that they do not
have sufficient funds to be able to carry out that.
Poverty in the world - Poverty rates
increased by 2 or 3%
after the hurricane
occurred. The census
demonstrates how
many of the people
suffered more poverty
after the hurricane,
with the darkest colors
taking up most of the
map. This same
hurricane that affected
Esch in the book has
affected many people
in the U.S.
-
 Poverty in the
book…food insecurity
As the novel progresses, we see the impact of economic hardship on Esch and her family. In a
passage, Esch describes the children from the white community. “I wonder if they have their own
Skeetahs and Esches crawling around the edges of their fields like ants under the floorboards
marching in line toward sugar left open in the cabinet” (Ward, 58). This quote shows that they are
living in poverty and are struggling to survive. Consequently, Esch and Skeetah have had to grow
up faster than others their age. They meet difficulties such as food insecurity and a lack of
resources, which have compelled them to do whatever it takes to survive. This has led Esch to
question whether they are the only ones who struggle with poverty or if there are others like
them. Furthermore, this portrays trauma, as Esch is left with a feeling of wanting to know if others
are experiencing similar struggles.
Poverty in the
book…medical insecurity
Throughout the book, there have been many instances where poverty
has been shown. In the beginning, we see a flashback of how Esch’s
mother passed away. “Mama gave birth in the house she bore all of us
in, here in this gap in the woods(Ward, 6). Esch’s mother had to give birth
in her own home since she had mentioned “she didn't want to go to the
hospital(Ward, 6). It was very likely that they did not have enough to
cover the medical bill that would come with a hospital visit. Due to this,
we can infer that she died from blood loss, which could have been
avoided if only they had the resources to access medical treatment from
the beginning.
 Poverty in the book…
The economic hardships caused by poverty have affected the family's living standards. The
father cannot afford basketball camp, has limited opportunities, and lacks the resources to
afford his children's basic needs. "If my dogs survive, I can make $800 from selling them. Eight
hundred dollars can help us achieve a lot. You will not have to ask Dad for more money for your
basketball camp next week, and you will not have to worry about playing well enough in
summer league to qualify for one of those scholarships" (Ward, 61). Skeetah sees selling the dog
as a valuable opportunity that they should not miss, as it can help them secure a better future.
This illustrates that, because the father is unable to provide the resources because he does not
have enough, his children are constantly worried about things that they should not need to
worry about at their age. Further, it portrays how poverty has caused the family to experience
emotional strain and trauma, as they are constantly worried about making ends meet,
achieving financial stability, and surviving.
Poverty in the
book…medical insecurity
Poverty often limits individuals' access to healthcare resources and other essentials, which
can be detrimental to their overall well-being. “Almost done?” Skeetah is watching my
hands. I wonder if he sees the wounds underneath the bandage already and if he
imagines what they will look like once healed. His own fight scars” (Ward, 70). It is
suggested that Skeetah and Esch's poverty has prevented them from obtaining proper
medical care due to a lack of financial resources. Also, living in a rural area makes it more
likely to face challenges in accessing healthcare because those areas often have fewer
medical facilities and resources compared to urban areas. Furthermore, this demonstrates
that fighting to survive has left Skeetah and Esch scars that may leave them traumatized,
and witnessing their mother die for not getting proper medical treatment when she was
giving birth may also leave them emotional scars. This illustrates how poverty impacted
Esch and her family by causing them emotional and physical trauma.
Poverty in the
book..medical insecurity
In rural areas, poverty is higher compared to urban areas because there are often fewer
job opportunities and limited access to healthcare facilities or education opportunities.
That is why, because Esch and her family live in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, a rural area,
they often struggle to get healthcare, which has greatly impacted their families because it
has indirectly caused Esch's mother to die, her father to become disabled, and Esch to
not have money to get a birth control pill or prescription during her pregnancy. “The only
thing I would not be able to find is the birth control pills; I have never had a prescription,
would not have money to get them if I did, do not have any girlfriends to ask for some,
and have never been to the Health Department (Ward, 83). This demonstrates how Esch
becomes pregnant because she does not have money to buy a control pill, and in the area
where she is living, it is most likely that there is no healthcare facility where she could go
to check on her pregnancy. This also connects to the other events that happen in the
story.
 poverty in the book..
Toxicity in environment
“Why don’t you go take a bath?” I imagine the gashes at his side, seeing them turn red
with infection under Randall’s old wrap. We catch boils on the Pit as easily as we used
to catch stray dogs, and I know enough about them to understand that they are
bacterial infections. (Ward,89). Randall is infected with boils because of the pit. Esch
mentions how this is a frequent occurrence, which demonstrates how often they deal
with the consequences of their home being polluted. Their environment is
contaminated and is causing them harm, yet it goes overlooked. This is also an
example of slow violence because their living conditions affect their access to food,
medical care, and health.
 Poverty Nowadays Don'
t forg
et
Poverty has led to a rise in homelessness in New York City, resulting in
severe mental health issues due to a lack of well-paying jobs.
...
Unfortunately, the system has failed many New Yorkers, leaving them
facing numerous challenges. The current situation has resulted in a
humanitarian crisis, with people living without homes, steady income, or
access to medical treatment. Due to the lack of support, many people end
up in criminal court, leading to incarceration on Rikers Island. This only
serves to worsen their condition and create a yawning gap in support
services. To address this crisis, we need to tackle the root cause of poverty
and provide support to struggling individuals. This is one of the greatest
issues that poverty has caused in New York City, which demonstrates that
poverty is the worst form of violence that affects slowly the population
emotionally and physically, leaving scars that impact people's lives for their
entire lives.
Poverty in our
life
Latinos are part of a minority group that is
considered socially vulnerable due to several
factors, such as social, economic, historical, and
political issues. These factors limit their ability to
prepare for, cope with, and recover from the
impacts of climate change. They face a greater risk
of being affected by the future impacts of climate
change, and it will be challenging to prepare for and
recover from it. This connects to me personally
because I’m part of a minority group since I
identify as Hispanic and Latino.
● The risk people face for being
from these socially vulnerable
populations is greater because
they are at risk of developing
many health problems and
having financial difficulties.
This includes me personally
because I suffer a greater risk
of being impacted by these
climate changes because I am
economically disadvantaged.
 Poverty in my
life
This graph shows how
minorities and people with low
incomes like I am will be part
of the most affected once
things like global warming and
sea levels start to rise.
 Poverty in my life

● The graph depicts how minorities have a higher risk of developing asthma due to
poor air quality, and this is something that you can see happening in places where
Latino people live, which relates to my life in particular, coming from a Hispanic
household and developing asthma because of those reasons.
● The rising temperatures cause a lot of deaths among people with low incomes and
minorities. This can be seen even now during the summer, when temperatures
have been steadily rising over the years. I have experienced the loss of my
grandfather because of this. While working on an extremely hot day, he had an
attack that was caused by the heat and the hard work he was doing and passed
away while working.
 Work Cited
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US Census Bureau. (2021, November 20). 2003 Poverty rates for counties in Hurricane Katrina disaster areas. Census.gov.
https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2003/demo/2003-povertyrate-fema-counties.html.
Ward, Jesmyn. Salvage the Bones: A Novel. 1st U.S. ed., Bloomsbury, 2011. Accessed 11 Mar. 2024.
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