Push: A novel by Sapphire - Essay Example

At some point Ms. Rain who was her teacher at the new school where she went after being expelled for being pregnant tells her that, “When you get home from the hospital look and see how much welfare has helped your mother" (Sapphire 101). This is after Precious telling Ms. Rain that Welfare was helping her mother. With regard to the statement made by Ms. Rain, is it true that welfare cannot be depended on for a good life? First, there is nothing that is quite more frustrating than being illiterate.

Precious makes this discovery after getting serious with her education and witnessing the extent to which it had influenced her thinking and reasoning. Precious would not have attained high levels of thinking and reasoning by depending on welfare making it to be non-reliable. Essentially, she realizes that can be able to take good care of her children independently without having to depend on welfare like her mother did. Precious’ independence can be used to indicate that dependence on welfare has a way from preventing someone from utilizing his or her potential.

Taking Precious’ mother as an example, she lives a pathetic life as she unable to any effort towards improving the quality of her life. This can be backed by the fact that she even suggests that Precious should ignore education and instead apply for welfare just as she had done. The fact that Precious’ mother was suggesting that Precious should apply for welfare so that they can use the same, is a clear indication that the money that she had gotten all the years from welfare had never been enough to support her financially.

It can also be said that none of the money that Precious’ mother had received over the years had been saved for future purposes. Therefore, it seems like Ms. Rain is trying to influence Precious to choose between life of complete dependence on welfare money and that of independence through educational