Poverty

In the novel "Village By The Sea" by Anita Desai, poverty is depicted as the main theme of the story. To me, from reading this book I have interpreted poverty as a constant struggle to live. Lila and Hari face poverty every day and because they are young, their mother is sick and their father does not work, it is very hard for them to change their situation. Although their are different forms of poverty, I think that Lila and Hari face the most extreme type. They are always struggling to make money to provide food for their family, they are struggling so much that they have been forced to give up their education so that they can support each other. The poverty that they face means that they are finding it hard to live and they do not have what is necessary to live a healthy life. Unlike Lila and Hari, most children in New Zealand receive a good education, a sufficient amount of food, a healthy home, and the comfort of feeling safe. Lila and Hari do not get these things that we all take for granted, this to me is the meaning of poverty.