Having set her motivation up, Clare then implements a strategy called adjustment in dealing with the problems occurring throughout her life while trying
to put her dreams into reality and to have a better life. This adjustment strategy is defined as a process of coping with events, difficulties, challenges, and problems
that occur throughout our lives. This adjustment is divided into three major categories. The first category is problem solving. When dealing with problems,
people will seek for the solutions. The second category is acceptance of the situation. It is sometimes better for us to accept the problems and its consequences
as there is no solution for it. The third category is defense mechanisms such as repression and denial. These defense mechanisms are very helpful to alleviate
stress and anxiety while encountering problems Braun, Linder, and Asimov 478. In fulfilling her basic needs in order to change her life into better, Clare applies
those kinds of adjustment in her daily. Since she is a smart girl, Clare is able to choose which sort of adjustment that is appropriate for certain situation or event
happening in her life. Clare’s struggle to gain a better life can be analyzed as follows:
a. Working as a Shop Assistant
There is no doubt that Clare’s life, especially her childhood, is miserable. Being ignored by her family, never given enough food and decent clothes, even
being abused by her own mother both mentally and physically, Clare always tries to seek ways on struggling and changing her life into a better one. As a smart girl,
she is able to cope with the problems happening throughout her horrible life. Nothing is given by her mother, but pain and sorrow. In her early age of
twelve, Clare is already forced by her mother to have a Saturday job in a cafeteria where Eastman works. It is a pity to come to know that Carmen has a bad deed
behind her asking Clare to work. She, in fact, plans to make use of Clare to earn money. As soon as Clare gets paid, the money is taken by Carmen. Carmen points
out that Clare must pay for her cost of living. You cheeky little bitch. You want to live in my house, eat my food, drink
my drink and not ask where it’s coming from? Where do you think it’s coming from? You think it grows on trees? You think I’m your meal-
ticket? If you work you must pay and, by the way, you owe me for the shop powder I bought to clean your bedclothes Briscoe 164.
At her highest point of depression, Clare decides that she must take an immediate action. She is tired of the unfairness done by her mother. She is tired of
being given no enough food and no decent clothes. It happens at the most that Clare steals biscuits from her mother’s room only to fill her belly. She is
extremely tired of keeping away from her mother’s way and getting hand-me- downs clothes Briscoe 209-210. The tiredness of facing terrible condition in her
home life leads Clare to the point of implementing her adjustment process. Braun, Linder, and Asimov 478 define adjustment as a process of coping
with problems and difficulties that occur in life. One of the categories of adjustment is called problem solving which is mostly used in daily life. It is said
that people will seek for the solutions while dealing with problems or difficulties. In line with this case, Clare applies her problem solving by taking a decision to
find herself another Saturday job since her previous Saturday job with Eastman has been a one-off. She plans to find a job that will help her to pay for some new
clothes Briscoe 209-210.
Her physiological needs become Clare’s primary motivation to struggle in her terrible condition of life. It is said that the most powerful and important of all
basic needs are the needs for physical survival, which include the needs for food, liquid, shelter, sex and oxygen Maslow in Goble 38. These physiological needs
of food and clothes become Clare’s main motive to look for another Saturday job. At last, Clare puts her plan into practice while doing shopping. As she is a
brave one, Clare asks a trader of a shop where she buys family daily needs for a Saturday job. Unfortunately, the trader has no vacancy on Saturday job. What a
fortune that the trader remembers of having seen a sign in the window for a Saturday girl while passing a shop. He then tries to recall the name of the shop
and the location. At last, he takes a crumpled brown paper bag from Clare’s hand, straightens it and writes the shop’s name and the location on it Briscoe 217.
Without spending too much time to think, Clare then continues walking to search for the shop told by the trader. As she passes Walworth Road, Clare
notices a ladies’ dress shop named Roses, the name which is exactly the same as it is written on her brown paper bag. As she finds herself in mess of crying and
knows the possibility that she might be thrown out in such condition, Clare decides to ask for the Saturday job in Roses after she brings her shopping back
home and cleans herself Briscoe 218. Once again her smartness helps Clare to apply the problem solving technique. Braun, Linder, and Asimov 478 state that
while dealing with problems or difficulties, people will seek for the solution. In dealing with her problem of being messy, Clare then seeks for the solution by
going home to clean herself first and then going back to the shop again later to
apply for the Saturday job. At the time she comes back to Roses, Clare bravely and confidently asks
the owner for the Saturday job. She is given some basic questions on her identity, and then Eileen, the owner agrees to give Clare a trial period starting next week
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Briscoe 219. Time passes quickly since Clare is very excited about her new Saturday job. On Saturday morning she wakes up early, has
a shower and makes herself a cup of tea before she is ready to start her first day at Roses. Clare finds her first day is fancy, exciting and funny. She really enjoys
working at Roses as she uses her smartness to find something nice to say on the costumers’ chosen outfit Briscoe 222.
The first day at Roses passes by in a flash and Clare has finished her duties well. Before going home, Eileen hands Clare a brown envelope containing
£8 and a pay slip. On her way home Clare buys herself a cheeseburger and chips with her own money Briscoe 250. It shows that Clare is able to satisfy one of
her physiological needs that is food. Maslow in Goble 38 points out “For the man who is extremely hungry, no other interests exist but food. He dreams food,
he remembers food … and he wants only food.” In this case, Clare’s need of food also becomes her motive to work well at Roses.
As Carmen knows that Clare has a new Saturday job and gets paid from the job, again she asks Clare to pay her for keeping the house including the use of
electricity. Clare argues that it is only a Saturday job, which in fact does not give so much money, so she cannot pay for that. Since there is no one who can stop
what Carmen wants, Clare at last agrees to pay for £3.
‘It’s my money and I work for it.’ ‘Well, what do you say? You seem to think that you are the woman in this
house, what do you think is the sum of your keep? ‘I think three pounds would be fair.’
‘Well, that will pay for the electricity, but from now on you will buy your own food and clothes. If you’re old enough to look after yourself’ Briscoe
224-225
In this case, Clare applies the second category of adjustment called acceptance of the situation. Braun, Linder, and Asimov 478 point out that it is
sometimes better for us to accept the problems and its consequences, as there is no solution for it. While facing this problem, Clare prefers to accept the situation
for there is nothing else to do since in fact Carmen is her mother who has the biggest control of authority in the house. As a daughter, Clare cannot rebel against
her own mother. As a smart and hardworking girl, Clare works very well at Roses and she
is always able to satisfy her costumers by finding nice things to say to them no matter how ridiculous the costumers look like on their chosen outfit. Clare’s good
job is also noticed by the owner of the shop, Eileen. After a couple of years of working at Roses, Clare is able to provide herself with a number of pretty dresses.
She again struggles to fulfill her physiological needs. I now owned a number of pretty dresses, all thanks to Roses of the
Walworth Road. I was a dab hand at serving the costumers. No matter how fat or ridiculous they looked in their chosen outfit, I could always find
something nice to say – some remark that would swing the sale. I was very good, and Eileen knew it. I got a pay rise. We were all pleased with the
progress of Clare Briscoe Briscoe 276 Working as a shop assistant at Roses becomes the starting point of Clare’s
struggle. It becomes an important step in her life showing that she is ready to fight against her terrible life and to change her life into better. As she struggles to work
at Roses, Clare tries to fulfill her physiological needs, which become the basis on hierarchy of human basic needs. Maslow points out that these physiological needs
have first to be satisfied before fulfilling the higher-level of needs qtd. in Goble 38. And based on the analysis, it can be concluded that Clare is able to satisfy
some of her physiological needs. One occasion Clare has an opportunity to live with Miss K, one of her
teacher, since Clare does not want to go home after suffering from a terrible head wound caused by her mother’s torment. Living with Miss K is like tasting the
paradise for Clare. Since Miss K is a very kind person, she provides Clare with real affection and love she never gets from her mother. One chance Clare secretly
buys Miss K a box of Cadbury’s Milk Tray using the money she saves up from Roses and puts it on Miss K’s pillow in her bedroom. When later on Miss K
notices the secret gift given by Clare, she starts crying hysterically, thanks Clare, and tells her that it is the kindest thing she ever has since coming to England
Briscoe 274. As an exchange, Miss K buys Clare a book entitled “The Little Princess by
Frances Hodgson-Burnett” as her fourteenth-birthday present. The tears well up as Clare hugs Miss K and kisses her. Miss K is the ideal mother Clare never has and
she really loves her Briscoe 276. While living with Miss K, Clare struggles to fulfill her belongingness and love needs. Maslow states that people satisfy their
love needs by establishing an intimate and caring relationship with another person, or with people in general. Moreover, this relationship is just as important
to give love as to receive it qtd. in Goble 40-41. In this case, Clare tries to
establish an intimate and caring relationship with Miss K. She loves Miss K as her own mother.
Although problems always exist on the process of her struggle to gain a better life, Clare is always able to respond to them using the most proper ways.
She tries to implement the right strategy in dealing with problems happening in life while struggling to satisfy her basic needs.
b. Working as a Cleaning Service
