Mrs. Preston is at a loss to know what to do to help
Hanneh. She has been speaking at some length to Hanneh about democracy, which Hanneh has
fully embraced, but Mrs. Preston has no sense as to how to put democracy into action in
this situation.
So Mrs. Preston, who is wealthy, offers to
give Hanneh money to hold her over, taking care of the problem for the moment. She gives
no thought to the future, for this woman has never had to do so: money is there for the
taking, whenever she needs it.
Hanneh, however, does not
want a moment of charity: she wants justice. She is thinking of the future. A loan today
will still leave her tomorrow facing the unethical landlord who wants more money for the
work Hanneh has done to make her apartment more attractive (and therefore more valuable
to him). Hanneh's frustration is overwhelming as she realizes that she has nowhere to
turn and no one to help her. As she and her husband have always had to work hard to get
by, now they must do so and find another
home.
The reality of the harshness of Hanneh's life of
poverty is glaringly different than the life of comfort Mrs. Preston
lives.
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