Chapter 2, "Scrubbing in Maine". Summary and Analysis

The author decides next to go to Portland, Maine, because she is White and it will not seem unusual when she looks for menial work here because nearly all the cabbies, waitresses, retail clerks in Maine are White too. She takes a bus to the smallish city and rents a room at Motel 6 until she can get a job and an apartment. She describes the motel as a composite of stains and food residue across a freeway from other fast food joints. Ehrenreich feels like a fugitive, and she becomes obsessed with the few possessions she's brought along. A look at the local free ad magazine reveals very little housing she can afford, and a footnote tells readers that working class people are driven to live in motels because rents are so high...