Larson’s context is American cities. When I was a child I would see people selling pencils, shoelaces, and combs like this. Poverty is a much bigger problem, but I haven’t seen that kind of retail in decades. Stuff on blankets, yes. But not small consumer goods. Hans Christian Anderson wrote about the little match girl, but I have never seen a child sell matches either. I have seen children selling gum in Mexico.
Exactly my point. You said it’s an old trope that doesn’t happen anymore. It may not be pencils specifically everywhere, but it most definitely still happens in the general sense. You have the kids selling chicle in Mexico, people (especially kids) sell toothbrushes in east Africa, adults sell 10-packs of tissues all over the world, hell, I’ve seen people walking around selling bottles of water in Vegas.
It happens all over the world.
Larson’s context is American cities. When I was a child I would see people selling pencils, shoelaces, and combs like this. Poverty is a much bigger problem, but I haven’t seen that kind of retail in decades. Stuff on blankets, yes. But not small consumer goods. Hans Christian Anderson wrote about the little match girl, but I have never seen a child sell matches either. I have seen children selling gum in Mexico.
Exactly my point. You said it’s an old trope that doesn’t happen anymore. It may not be pencils specifically everywhere, but it most definitely still happens in the general sense. You have the kids selling chicle in Mexico, people (especially kids) sell toothbrushes in east Africa, adults sell 10-packs of tissues all over the world, hell, I’ve seen people walking around selling bottles of water in Vegas.