Naturalism in Them

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Poverty in this society is also just as common as the violence. These two themes together are a very bad mix for a family like the Wendalls and other families alike. The poverty is what forces them to make unbelievably rash decisions and is what causes their family to be torn apart. All of the members of the Wendall family make very unintelligent decisions throughout the novel to obtain a bit of money. Early on in the novel the Wendall family is just moving back into Detroit from the countryside and Loretta finds herself in trouble within minutes of her arrival. Loretta is walking around downtown Detroit when a man pulls up alongside her. The man says, “How much?” she replied, by asking, “ten dollars…?” and the man takes hold of her wrist and says “all right, you’re busted.”(83). Loretta is so desperate for money she sacrifices her body for it. She does not even think of the consequences that could arise from trying to do activities like these. She has been conditioned by her society to believe that anything is okay as long as you can make a quick buck out of it. The poverty in this society prevents them from progressing in life or doing anything beneficial for themselves. If a student is even lucky enough to focus and do well in school with all the distractions of living in urban Detroit, you still had a far way to go to get out of this evil society. Since most people are so poor, they couldn’t afford to attend college or pay for any education past high school. The poverty affects every aspect of your life and it is inescapable. They strive to make their lives positive in any sort of way, and yearn for stability in their extremely chaotic and disorganized lives. But achieving tranquility in their lives is nearly impossible with m...

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...ly set in cities, showing how the morality of society's worst elements tend to dominate in crowds, dragging the novel's protagonists down into moral corruption" (Them 268). All of the protagonists gradually mature and adapt as the story progresses, but they never feel sane or comfortable with their surroundings. The society in which they live is destroying who they are and destroying a family. None of the characters manage to escape this torturous trap except Jules. In the final scene of the novel Jules visits Maureen, who has isolated herself from the rest of her family in Dearborn with her new husband. She and Loretta are just getting by while Jules tells Maureen that he plans to try his luck in California (507). Them is a dramatic account of the circumstances this family must cope with following them through every detail of the individuals, and family as a whole.

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