Down and out in Paris and London

In the book Down and Out in Paris and London written by George Orwell, we follow the story of a man embracing the streets of London and Paris. Along the way he runs into many different types of people, all with their own stories to tell. The book takes us through odd jobs, sleepless nights in common lodging houses, and through the true meaning of starvation. The overall story depicts the true story of poverty and how many of the people residing in London have to live with the bare essentials. Much of the story deals with money, or the lack thereof. It is a constant struggle to obtain enough money for bread and tea. If the men are lucky they scrounge together enough money to buy tobacco which helps subdue the hunger pains. Orwell writes, “It is actually true that the less money you have, the less you worry” (20).

The homeless and beggars roaming the streets are referred to as tramps. Tramps lack three main necessities in life. The lack of food, clothing, and women define them and place them in the lowest social class. Though life without these things is a day to day struggle, the men push on. When the men wake up the first thing on their mind is food. The lack of food controls people and makes everything else around them unimportant. Some of the men throughout the story try to hold on to their beliefs and their religion. Many men in times of desperation could be seen praying. In the story we come across Paddy who teaches us about staying strong in your beliefs. Paddy does not believe in stealing even though he is starving. He is ashamed of being a tramp and not being able to take care of himself. Though Paddy does not practice religion it is still in his heart and in the back of his mind. Meeting people like Paddy reminds the readers that there are still people out there believing better days will come. In order to make money to buy the daily rations of food the men pawn their clothing leaving only work clothes left. Every character we run into in the book tries to salvage something that defines them. Some men hold on to their suit coats, others hold on to pictures and newspaper articles. Men hold on to their belongings so tightly because it defines their past. It proves to them that were not always a tramp. Many of them had jobs, many even loved ones at home. By holding on to their memorabilia gives them hope and a memory to hold on to. The lack of women also defines a tramp. As soon as a woman sees the clothing a man is wearing she can tell of his social standing. Women see the tramps having holes in their clothes and the dirt on their faces from days without showering. A woman of any social standing will not be seen with a tramp. Women avoid the tramps because men are always looking for a partner and someone to love and take care of. It does not matter what social standing the women are, as long as they are able to provide love. Women cling to these men to take care of them and provide for them. Along the way through the story we meet many people with their own stories to tell.

A character that stays through a majority of the book is named Boris. Boris is a large man who is in very poor health. Though Boris has many odds working against him he stays hopeful the entire time, always