Free Lunch

Content Warning: This section mentions physical and emotional child abuse, as well as domestic violence.

Money is the most prominent symbol in Rex Ogle’s memoir Free Lunch, as it controls almost every aspect of young Rex’s life until he decides to change his perspective. Rex’s sixth-grade year begins with frustration over a lack of money for food, continues as his mother Luciana fails to afford school supplies and nutritious meals, and reaches a low point when his family moves into government-sponsored public housing and pawns most of their few belongings. He feels a strong sense of shame about being poor, which he largely learned from his mother, and this reflects in how he interacts with his parents, peers, and teachers, as well as how he feels about himself. He feels as if everyone around him sees those in poverty as lesser, and his own English teacher seems to view him as a criminal. Rex becomes increasingly agitated and aggressive as the weeks pass, as does his mother, and their escalating tension results in conflict after conflict. Their conflicts showcase How Classism Affects Youth and Families. Rex and his family’s experiences in poverty and the resulting domestic conflicts are common consequences of economic pressure and a perpetual concern to meet basic needs. When Luciana finally finds work, the family’s situation improves not only financially, but emotionally. She becomes more affectionate and open, and Rex starts to feel “normal.” Rex once held the mistaken belief that money guarantees happiness, and it is through best friend Ethan that he learns otherwise: “Money isn’t everything. Trust Me. My family has money, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy” (194). While justified in his anger and frustration, Rex realizes he can practice Optimism and Gratitude in a World That Seeks to Break One Down.