# How does Mary, Mary develop the theme of Poverty and Survival?

> Mary, Mary by James Stephens

## Answer

Mary, Mary by James Stephens develops Poverty and Survival across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The book vividly depicts the grinding poverty of Mary and her mother, living in a dingy top-floor room, struggling to light fires, rationing food, and relying on the mother's charring work, with every penny and piece of bread meticulously accounted for.

Mary and her mother's daily struggle to make ends meet, including selling belongings and Mary taking over her mother's work.

The squalid living conditions and the mother's work as a charwoman highlight the family's struggle to survive.

The struggle to light a fire without proper fuel, the use of paraffin oil, and the lack of basic furniture highlight the family's poverty and daily survival efforts.

## Evidence

- [mary-mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/mary-mary.md): Mary and her mother's daily struggle to make ends meet, including selling belongings and Mary taking over her mother's work.
- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/i.md): The squalid living conditions and the mother's work as a charwoman highlight the family's struggle to survive.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/ii.md): The struggle to light a fire without proper fuel, the use of paraffin oil, and the lack of basic furniture highlight the family's poverty and daily survival efforts.
- [vi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/vi.md): Mary's mother avoids the drudgery of charing for her daughter, hoping for a lucky break to escape poverty, while Mary's idle days reflect their precarious economic situation.
- [vii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/vii.md): The chapter centers on the daily grind of poverty: Mrs. Makebelieve's constant need to find work, her calculations about wages, and her reflections on the desperation of the poor.
- [xi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xi.md): Mrs. Makebelieve's detailed account of her exhausting work and the meager soap allowance highlights the family's struggle to survive through hard labor.
- [xiii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xiii.md): Mary's shame about her mother's work as a charwoman highlights the stigma and struggle of poverty.
- [xv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xv.md): The family's dire financial state is highlighted by the mother's careful budgeting of a sixpence for food, and Mary's internal conflict between duty and personal desire.

## Links

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