# Poverty and Charity in The Hoosier Schoolmaster

> Theme guide for The Hoosier Schoolmaster by Edward Eggleston.

The book depicts the harsh realities of poverty, including the poorhouse and bound servitude, while also showing acts of charity and kindness that offer hope and redemption to the downtrodden.

## Where it surfaces

- [IX: Has God Forgotten Shocky?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/ix-has-god-forgotten-shocky): Shocky's family is broken by poverty: his father dead, mother in the poorhouse, and sister bound out to work. He wonders if God has forgotten the poor.
- [XI: Miss Martha Hawkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xi-miss-martha-hawkins): Miss Hawkins's visits to the Pearsons and Pearson's taking in Shocky illustrate acts of charity, though Pearson argues selfish motives.
- [Odds and Ends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xviii-odds-and-ends): Shocky's vulnerability as a pauper and the community's efforts to protect him highlight the intersection of poverty and charitable acts.
- [XX: God Remembers Shocky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xx-god-remembers-shocky): The chapter highlights the poverty of Shocky's family, with his mother in the poorhouse, and the charitable acts of Ralph, Bud, and Miss Martha to help Shocky escape.
- [XXI: Miss Nancy Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxi-miss-nancy-sawyer): Miss Nancy's selfless care for Shocky exemplifies charity and the overflow of motherly love.
- [Pancakes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxii-pancakes): Ralph's plea to bring Shocky's mother from the poorhouse contrasts with Aunt Matilda's refusal, highlighting societal attitudes toward the poor.
- [A Charitable Institution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxiii-a-charitable-institution): The chapter starkly contrasts the superficial charity of the Dorcas Society with the real, urgent needs of the local poorhouse, highlighting the hypocrisy of charitable institutions.
- [XXIV: The Good Samaritan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxiv-the-good-samaritan): The chapter centers on the community's charitable act to rescue Mrs. Thomson and Shocky from the poorhouse, demonstrating the impact of generosity and the struggles of the poor.
- [XXXII: After the Battle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxxii-after-the-battle): Hannah's determination to support her family and the kindness of the minister and Miss Nancy Sawyer in securing her a teaching position.
- [How It Came Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/xxxiv-how-it-came-out): Bud and Martha's decision to take charge of the poorhouse highlights the theme of charitable service to the less fortunate.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/themes/poverty_and_charity
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/themes