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Overall Summary
George Orwell, a young man in Paris, is living in an old and run-down hotel. He’s down to his last few hundred francs when he gets robbed of the rest of his money by someone who broke into his room. This experience makes him realize that he has become poor and will be even poorer if he doesn’t get some more money soon.
Orwell discovers that life on six francs a day is very difficult. He finds it hard to live frugally, without spending too much money. For example, he buys milk but the bug ruins it before he can drink it. He has bread and margarine for breakfast; however, there are many other nutritious options in shops which tempt him to buy them instead of his usual meal. On top of all this, if something bad happens to him (e.g., illness), then he will be ruined because his income isn’t enough for anything else than basic necessities such as food and shelter.
Orwell, an aristocrat by birth, refers to this life as “the suburbs” of poverty. He notes that he is less desperate than the men with whom he keeps company. Orwell remains in Paris and London among the poor so that he might tell their story with authenticity and authority. Poverty is inescapable for many of the people he writes about. Not so for Orwell.
Orwell remembers a friend of his from Russia who said that Orwell could come by any time he was in need. Unfortunately, the man is just as broke as Orwell and has to live in squalor because of his time spent in the army. He’s crippled, but he still maintains an optimistic outlook on life and looks forward to when they will have work again.
In the end, Orwell and Boris are not able to find work for a long time. They’re rejected by many restaurants because of their poor appearance and limp. In order to sneak out without paying rent, they have to leave secretly. After some misadventures, they manage to get enough money from pawning overcoats in order to buy food for days.
Boris and Orwell are not making enough money to live on, so Boris comes up with another scheme. He tells Orwell that he will write for a Russian newspaper about British politics. However, it turns out the whole thing is a scam because they don’t have any connections in the newspaper business. They continue drifting around together until they meet an acquaintance of Boris’s who wants to open a Norman-themed restaurant in Paris. This man is impressed by Orwell’s English background and agrees to hire both of them when his restaurant opens—which he says will be very soon.
Orwell is hired as a dishwasher and Boris gets the job of waiter. However, they never work because Orwell spends two days waiting for food and thinking about nothing but food. Eventually, he’s offered a job at Hotel X in Paris by Boris.
George Orwell was happy when he first got the job, but then he realized that it wasn’t what he expected and would be very hard work. It is also a thankless job because no one notices the hard work that goes into cleaning a hotel. He had to wake up early every day and go to bed late at night after working for eleven hours straight. The only good thing about this job was getting some sleep during his breaks and going out on Saturday nights to drink with Boris in the bistro of their hotel.
Orwell works at the Hotel X for nearly a month, then quits when Boris assures him that the Auberge—the Patron’s restaurant—is on the verge of opening. The fact is, though, that the Patron has done no more work on it since they last visited. Orwell and Boris put in long hours to try to make it ready to open but have not succeeded yet.
If the hotel was a bad place to work, then Auberge is an even worse one. The kitchen is filthy and under-equipped; rats run around freely and the staff members have to work 17 hours a day just to keep it open. Although Orwell doesn’t like working there at first, he realizes that it’s a success because of its unique approach. He also argues that this kind of grueling work should not be necessary in order for rich people to enjoy their luxuries. Eventually, Orwell gives his notice at Auberge and travels back home to England where his friend B offers him a job looking after someone who needs caretaking.
