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#13 A Manual for Cleaning Women (Lucia Berlin, 2015)

 Rating: 6/10

    Multiple industrial revolutions won't change how people of distinct echelons are treated differently. The juxtaposition of Maggie's life and the glimpses into the lives of rich people magnified the problematic distribution of advantage even during the third Industrial Revolution. While Maggie was trying to deal with the harsh realities of her fractured life (economically, mentally, etc.), she had to lower her self-respect and pride to blend in the capitalistic society. In Ms. Dr. Blum's house, Maggie's sullen attitude quickly turns into an understanding and respectful attitude the second she gets reminded of the fact that she's merely a cleaning lady.

    Personally, narrating style of this story was not favorable since I could find no solid development nor an incidental event. The story of a cleaning woman gazing out the bus window is prone to be monotonous if the reader finds it hard to realize her representation of overlooked working women. On the other hand, I liked how the author juxtaposed people of opposite lives, as it maximized the misery of cleaning women. I could temporarily sympathize with Maggie's helpless feelings when she was forced not to discipline kids in Dr. Blum's house. 

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