Introduction to Poverty in “High Times in Jamaica”
The culture of every place, when seen by outsiders, exposes its beauty and ills in detail like poverty in “High Times in Jamaica”. The natives and locals, generally, ignore routine issues but outsiders even when they are travelers and enjoying life in foreign lands have a critical look. And it gets even more critical when they have an artistic eye and they record their days and nights spent in the lands they visit. They see and comment on everything that comes their way, whether it is the culture, the people, the way of their living and the enjoyments they have, and above all the way they earn their livelihood. “High Times in Jamaica” by Richard Jacobs comprises a stay of one and half weeks of the author and his friend in Jamaica when in March Jamaica won freedom. They went through the capital city of Jamaica and lived a bohemian type of life, staying with the lady and with their girlfriends. The author recorded his reflections and experiences in this short story regarding poverty in in “High Times in Jamaica”, occasionally commenting on what comes his way, on the people and how they are leading their lives. The story not only highlights poverty but also points out the curses accompanying the city of Jamaica.
Observation about Poverty in “High Times in Jamaica”
When the author and his friend Scotty meet their hostess, Aggie, they go to her home with her and take a careful view of her house. It comprises four rooms of a saloon that has been turned into a house with a kitchen and bedrooms for the lady and “her little boy” (Jacobs). When he sees it he is sure that it is “not the best damn place” (Jacobs) they are going to live. This is the poverty reflected in the house of their hostess. Even she serves them poorly and brings “cold beer” (Jacobs) for them. Then they see the girls and start laughing and talking with them to pass their time. The comments and laughs of the girls show that they need something as they live in extreme poverty. “Dark-skinned” (Jacobs) girls are the ones who are out of work and are going to “have a great them staying” (Jacobs) with these travelers to earn their livelihood. This is the situation of poverty. Even when they go out, they see the railway station where “boys [are] making a living by begging” (Jacobs) to earn something. The poverty is acute. There is nothing to earn and it is enough that they get something. The situation of labor and job market is so bad that “You can hardly move without someone asking for a shilling or something to eat” (Jacobs) and when they do not get something they also threaten (Jacobs). This is how they get what they ask at every cost. This poverty in “High Times in Jamaica” is exactly like the “depression of the 1930s” (Jacobs) in the United States. It is running rampant in every nook and corner of the town.
Curses of Poverty in “High Times in Jamaica”
The curses that accompany poverty in “High Times in Jamaica” are also taking their toll on the people as well as the tourists coming to Jamaica. First, it has given birth to the gangs of beggars as the writer suggests in the very beginning of the story. The boys are so poor that they are eight begging or selling petty things or working as guides for the tourists, and every carrying their luggage for something. The second is that girls from different nations are engaged in sex. The author and his friend Scotty are welcomed by Aggie who is running a brothel as he tells commenting about her house that it is “a wh*re house” for it is full of girls (Jacobs). They have also chosen two to stay with them to enjoy their stay in Jamaica. His girl Marjorie is always with him and even another native catches him when they book a theater for a show. She and her friend Scotty’s girl, Blossom, are always with them. When he is taken away by the teenage girl, they stay together and he sees that “She is all sex” (Jacobs) which tells how much sex is there. Again when he sees her standing, she has the “most provocative pose since Cleopatra” (Jacobs). Then they spend their nights together. Poverty has also given birth to crime, robberies, and thefts. Even the author is caught napping in a street, but he takes courage and makes the chasers leave without getting a cigarette but they have said “All want is cigarette” (4). They are so much in want of money that they have nothing else to purchase even a cigarette. Had he not taken courage, he might have been a victim of robbery and gotten a thrashing at their hands, for they would have harmed him had he not given them his possessions. In fact, poverty in “High Times in Jamaica” has brought all these crimes, sex, and beer to this small island.
Conclusion
Although the author Richard Jacobs makes the most of his short trip to the Prince Street of Jamaica, he has presented a short picture of the entire culture. Poverty in “High Times in Jamaica” has destroyed the very social fabric of society and has given birth to several diseases, crimes, and other curses that are ailing that society further. Both he and his friend enjoyed much during their short stay over there. They make the most of their time with their girlfriends Marjorie and Blossom. However, the city is not lacking girls from other origins such as Syria. Even when he and Scotty went to the theater, they see the same accompanying curses of poverty taking their toll on every strata of life. They observe everything that comes their way. The story not only exposes the poverty, but also the crimes and other social illnesses that are making life worse than it was during the Great Depression in America. Although he leaves with his friend after this short trip, his emotional farewell suggests that he was very much moved and wanted to highlight their plight that he did in this short story.
Work Cited
- Jacobs, Richard. “High Times in Jamaica.” n.d. 03 December 2013. <http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories Accessed 14. Jun. 2020.
Relevant Questions about Poverty in “High Times in Jamaica”
- How is poverty in “High Times in Jamaica” depicted and explored, and what impact does it have on the lives of the characters?
- In “High Times in Jamaica,” how does the author address the theme of poverty, and what social and economic factors contribute to the characters’ struggles?
- Can you provide examples from “High Times in Jamaica” that illustrate the different dimensions of poverty within the story, and how does it shape the storyline and character development?