Poverty is a serious issue facing the world today. It is something that is so easy to get into, yet extremely difficult to get out of. Many people are not aware of what it really means to live in poverty, the seriousness of it, and there are often many misconceptions about it. The movie The Pursuit of Happyness, does a great job of answering some of these questions for us, and gives the viewer insight on what being in the state of poverty is like.
What is poverty, you ask? Poverty is the state of being poor, not being able to provide yourself with basic needs such as food, water, housing, and education. Nearly half of the worlds population live on less than one U.S. dollar a day. 50 000 people die from issues related to poverty each day. Every three seconds a child dies from an issue related to poverty. More than 800 000 Canadian children live in poverty as well.
Many people have the misconception that poverty only happens to people who fall under a certain class or category, and who ‘choose’ to be in the particular situation. This certainly is not the case. Poverty can happen to anyone, and no one chooses to be faced with it. In some cases, as well, people are born into such circumstances. Take The Pursuit of Happyness, for example. The protagonist, Chris Gardner, a struggling, not to mention hard working salesman, trying to earn enough money to provide for his son. But that wasn’t enough, the money he earned could not keep up with all the bills and other finances he had to take care of, which lead him to be stuck in a situation none of us would like to ever be a part of. His young son, Christopher, is also a great example of the many children being born into poverty. Too young to understand, little Christopher had to move from home to home, motel to motel, because of his fathers inability to pay rent.
There are many affects that take a toll on the lives of those who live in poverty. Some of biggest affects consist of shame and embarrassment. This was shown in the movie when Chris Gardner’s boss was in a rush about to catch a cab, having forgotten his wallet. He sees Chris and asks him for five dollars, not knowing about his current situation. Chris then offers politely to go back into the building and get his boss’s wallet for him, knowing that he really couldn’t afford to give away five dollars, although to others like his boss, it may be nothing. His boss, being very impatient, refuses his offer and tells Chris to simply give him the five dollar bill and he will pay him back later. The hesitation in the characters face as he was reaching to his wallet to give his boss the money, displayed how crucial this was for Chris, and all in all the scene is an ideal representation of how living in poverty also means living in shame and embarrassment. This is due to Chris not being in a position to give the very little money he had, he was far too ashamed to let his boss know, and ended up giving it to him. Living with this kind of shame makes it difficult to move up in life because we live in a world where people in poverty are looked down upon, and the more you have the more you are heard. Fear of rejection is a result of this. Who do you go for help, when it seems everyone around you is going to judge you or look the other way? This is a major problem people in poverty have to face everyday.
There are various tasks being done to help those struggling in poverty. Many churches give out charity suppers, organizations give shelter for limited nights, and there are charities to which people are able to give donations to help support persons in poverty financially - often times in terms of schooling, which usually consist of the richer countries donating to less fortunate ones, due to the inability of the poorer countries governments to fund a proper education for each child within the country. Although there are efforts being done, it is not to say that this is nearly enough, or that it eliminates poverty around the world. There are many negative aspects as well. One of the negative aspects can be seen in the movie, when Chris and his son, Christopher, desperately go searching for a safe place to stay for the night. They are told about a particular shelter and Chris immediately finds the place in hopes for staying the night with his son. To their disappointment, they were told they could not stay. The reason for this being that he was a male, a father. The shelter was made specifically for abused women and children, so they had to look elsewhere. This form of sexism is found in many other shelters, not just the one in the movie. It is unfair because women aren’t the only ones who suffer from things such as poverty or abuse, yet they are the main focus when it comes to sheltering and an aid for help.
All in all, poverty is a major issue in the world today that can affect anyone. The movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, perfectly outlines the various diverse aspects of poverty and the issues surrounding it. It is a common misconception that poverty only happens to a certain classification of persons, but through watching the movie you come to see that this is clearly not the case. The Pursuit of Happyness also withholds an inspirational theme; to never give up. “Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right?” These were the words spoken by Chris to his son, hoping that his son would have a better future, and overcome the obstacles that came with poverty, as well as the shame that makes it embarrassing to move forward at times. They faced many struggles in life, but in the end, with his hard work and perseverance, Chris had finally landed himself a stable job, was able to stand on his own two feet and support his son again.