Introduction
Fixed Income, written by Alexie Sherman, focuses on one grand theme of inequality and minorities. The short story is narrated by the protagonist, a young woman who has aspirations and profound thoughts regarding the situation in the country. While nowadays, this issue is starting to become more and more acute, it has existed for centuries. Minorities that reside in the U.S. have to face the unfairness of being underprivileged and putting more effort into achieving the desired goal. Meanwhile, their non-minority counterparts rarely face any challenges.
Discussion
The story begins with a simple description of the heroine’s experience of landing a job at McDonald’s. The setting that the author chose sets a depressing and routine atmosphere. The young woman describes how the majority of people who work for the company are minorities and are either African American or Latino. This job is everything they have and the only way to provide for their families. At the same time, there is a presence of irony. The heroine is part of a minority group but emphasizes how lucky she is and how guilty she feels for having this job since her family leads a better life (Sherman, 2016). Her Indian mother holds a prestigious position at the University of Washington, and while her white father was fired, the family still does not struggle with food. In the end, when the narrator is talking to her older coworker, she mentions that the only constant and valuable thing in the country is respect. This is the only thing that people can afford, and it can similarly be the only fixed income, implying the metaphor in the title.
Conclusion
Hence, the central theme of the short story Fixed Income is the minorities’ struggles and financial inequality in the country. While some privileged families have everything to lead a happy and stable life, other families are forced to work and put much effort into providing for their children and other family members. The protagonist emphasized that the only thing that is entirely affordable in the country is respect.
Reference
Sherman, A. (2016). Fixed income.