pov·er·ty
/ˈpävərtē/
Noun
The state of being extremely poor.
The state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount.
In this definition, being in poverty can definitely be a choice depending on the person. There are many people like Helen King, who refuse to become a "charity case" and would rather rely on themselves. In terms of whether it's right or wrong because she has so many kids...in some ways it teaches them to be independent. From what we've read, I see no signs of suffering. I mean, if they were constantly saying that they were hungry and eating the roaches that come out at night, then I'd be worried. But they get along just fine the way they are.
I like that Helen does what she does for the money, as it's something that it seems like she likes to do. As for the clothes, in my mind, I can picture miniskirts as not as short as we think they are. If I remember correctly, miniskirts were anything like...above the knees or something because skirts were knees and below. It seems to be, just an image of change - someone who isn't afraid to go against traditional Irish, no matter if her family ended up looking like tinkers. It's rather interesting how tinkers are outcasts like that, similar to Amish (in my understanding).
I think "poor" is a word that's been blown out of the water in the first world countries. There are many countries that survive with being extremely poor (monetary wise), but the curveball of being inferior in quality (such as water) could be a problem. The kids don't seem to suffer from this though, as it's still America and a tightly-knit community.
