Themes

Living in poverty

David Joy’s essay “Digging in the Trash” focuses on the overall topic of poverty in the US.

David Joy who uses his personal experiences to illustrate poverty and its consequences. He first talks about his grandfather who lived in poverty: “…the trailer where my grandfather survived.” (ll. 7-8); “For lack of a better way of putting it, the old man had a look like he could strangle the life out of you.” (ll. 15-18). His grandfather’s and father’s stories revealed that they had dealt with many hardships in life caused by poverty: “His …

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Violence

David Joy explores the theme of violence as a consequence of poverty. The first reference to violence in the essay is the story about the grandfather’s wife shooting her husband during an argument: “…she loaded the shotgun, walked him out into the front yard, pulled the trigger, and peppered his back with bird shot.” (ll. 31-34). The writer argues that the woman’s violent, crazy behavior actually helped his grandfather stay away from drinking: “Ultimately, my grandfath…

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Addiction

Addiction is also explored as a consequence of living in poverty. David Joy first introduces this topic as he talks about his grandfather’s alcohol addiction: “One of his deepest truths was that he was a horrible alcoholic and he knew how bad he was without her.” (ll. 48-50). The writer further reveals that this addiction had consequences for his father while growing up: “…stories about his old man kicking him out on the side of the road or giving him presents onl…

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Argumentation

David Joy mainly constructs his essay “Digging in the Trash” by using hidden argumentation. This means that he relies on examples and case stories to convey his point of view on issues related to poverty.

For example, he uses his grandfather’s story to show that violence and addiction are consequences of poverty but also to suggests that many poor people have a better survival instinct than the rich: “He fought on the front lines in World War II, smoked and drank all his life, walked away from countless car wrecks, survived cancer time and time again, even when doctors cut out his tongue.” (ll. 61-66).

He then uses his father’s experience to suggest that people have a duty and an impulse to love their close ones despite their flaws: “What my father would say is that his daddy was a fine carpenter…” (ll. 98-99); “That’s why my dad will never say a cross word about his father, because des…