Sante's Low Life
May 02, 2018, by Allen
The section “Orphans” in Sante’s Low Life made me consider the ways in which different atmospheres for children effect their growth and sense of self. Nowadays, experiences that many people often take for granted as we grow up are not always given. In this chapter, he describes specific details that set the tone of the city. He talks about how homeless paper boys found a sense of pride in their selling. Competition in these activities were fierce and ruthless.
The issues for children described in Sante’s Low Life are still prevalent all over the world, despite places like New York advancing with strict regulations. Reading the numbers of homeless children during the 1850s grounded me in the context of this issue. The details in this chapter were also quite haunting: “two little newsboys slept one winter in the iron tube of the bridge at Harlem; two others made their bed in a burned-out safe in Wall Street.”
From a young age, many kids in New York had to function based on their core survival instinct due to brutal circumstances. Boys on the streets ended up dividing into classes and groups. Sweatshop jovs were so long and intense that homeless children preferred the risky options on the streets. They were put to work for the use of their small delicate fingers.
It is interesting (and horrifying) to think of how much New York has changed in this context. The city now prides itself on regulations and resources for children, despite enduring this history not so long ago.