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Hunger · Question
How does Hunger develop the theme of Poverty and Social Marginalization?
Answer
Hunger by Knut Hamsun develops Poverty and Social Marginalization across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book portrays the crushing effects of urban poverty, as the protagonist is systematically excluded from society, humiliated by his inability to pay rent or buy food, and reduced to pawning his belongings and begging.
His inability to pay rent, rejection from jobs, and shabby appearance highlight his marginal position in society.
The narrator lives in a poor lodging-house, observes poor children playing, and is treated with contempt by the landlady.