My mother was left a widow with two children in 1932 at the start of the Great Depression, with no job experience.
That expression, “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” is a familiar one often used as a recommended prescription for success, especially for a person in desperate circumstances.
It is a glib formula which does not consider for a moment the particular circumstances of the troubled person— usually black, dark skinned or native Indian.
Although my mother’s situation presented her with tough decisions, she was fortunate enough to have had four years of a college education.
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