Imagine standing at a corner on a snowy day, and you’re starving so you ask someone walking by for some food. He gives you a funny glance then hurries away, just like everyone else. How does this leave you feeling? Probably like no one cares. Poverty in America is growing, and we don’t do anything to make it better, we just think “Why should I give away my money and food when it’s the government’s job?” This is one topic that can relate to the short story, “The Dust Under the Rug” written by Maud Lindsay.
In this story, a young girl named Minnie goes out to find a house where her sick mom and crippled sister can stay, and finds an abandoned yet messy cottage. She decides to clean it, but neglects to sweep under the rug thinking that no one will notice. She later finds out that dwarves occupied the house and when they praise her hard work, Minnie feels guilty about the dust under the rug so goes back to clean it and finds a pile of gold hidden under the dust.
When deciding whether or not to clean the floor, Minnie declares “I will not sweep under the rug to-day. After all, it is nothing for dust to be where it can't be seen!” (1) Just like Minnie knew the dust was there, we acknowledge that the homeless people are around, but don’t take action to help.
After driving or walking away from a homeless person without giving them anything, you might feel guilty that you didn’t take two minutes of your day to find something to give them. Minnie was being admired for her hard work, but she felt sorry that she didn’t finish her job thoroughly. “Finally, she could bear it no longer. So she sprang out of bed, and, taking her broom in her hand, she swept the dust away; and lo! under the dust lay twelve shining gold pieces, as round and as bright as the moon.” (1) If Minnie had been too lazy and abandoned the rug, she wouldn’t have been rewarded with the gold, which she brought home to her sick mother and sister. Helping out someone in need might not reward you with gold, but it can make that person’s day, which is just as good.
“Our love goes with the gold we give, And oh! forget not while you live, That in the smallest duty done Lies wealth of joy for everyone." the dwarves chant as they hear how Minnie discovered the gold. (1) That basically meant that she shouldn’t carry around a broom and go sweeping under every rug she finds, expecting gold and praise, but for better motivations like giving it to her family. So we shouldn’t give money to the poor just so we can brag about it to our parents or whatever, but so that it can make them feel not forgotten.
The Dust Under the Rug is a great short story that teaches us to do our work diligently and go the extra mile to finish. We don’t have to offer a five star hotel room to a homeless person or anything like that, but offering five dollars or a meal shows them that they aren’t forgotten and there are still thoughtful people in this world. Not only will helping them out make them feel good, but you will also feel proud of yourself for helping someone out.
Work Cited
Lindsay, Maud. "The Baldwin Project: Mother Stories by Maud Lindsay." The Baldwin Project: Mother Stories by Maud Lindsay
n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
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