"Ka Ching" by Margaret Atwood

Choose one of the essays we have read so far this semester. In a fully-developed response discuss what you liked/disliked about the essay. Did it remind you of an event or experience from your own life? If so, explain. Discuss any questions you may have about the essays meaning or the ideas considered in it.


"Ka Ching” is an essay written by Margaret Atwood in which she describes her first real job. Atwood's first 'real job' was at a coffee shop that was in a small hotel on Avenue Road in Toronto. Atwood's job consisted of serving things at the counter, which included coffee, toast and milkshakes. She also had to learn how to operate the cash register. Atwood states that her job was entirely unsuited for her, and that she would not have done it except for the money. She was also surprised when she found out that she was hired for the job, but she felt underpaid and frustrated while she was working.
I really enjoyed reading this essay because it reminds me of the first 'real job' that I received about three years ago. My first real job, which I still have today, is located at a local grocery store and my position is a cashier. Since Atwood worked on the cash register, I can fully relate with her. When I first began training for my job, and even for a couple weeks after, I thought that I would never fully understand how to operate the cash register. I was so worried about making mistakes and counting the wrong amount of change and giving it back to the people who went through my line. In addition, I did not have a clue how I was going to remember all of the different fruit and vegetable codes. I was frustrated just like how Atwood was frustrated when she had to work on cash.
Another reason why I like the essay "Ka Ching" is because the theme is not directly stated. The reader can develop a theme based upon the knowledge and the facts that are given throughout the essay. In "Ka Ching", Atwood's overall theme is for a person to discover a job that does not feel like work; the person needs to find a job in his or her ‘element.’ Another theme for "Ka Ching" can also be that a person does not have to have a degree in a certain subject, or have had any scholarships to be in their ‘element.’ The waitress at the coffee shop did not have any university degrees and she never had a scholarship, yet she was, in her 'element.' In many ways, the themes in this essay can relate to all sorts of people who are trying to find their 'element'. Personally, I agree that when a person is in their ‘element,’ their job will not seem like work.
Another aspect I especially liked in "Ka Ching" was that although Atwood is an extremely intelligent woman, she had a rough time operating the cash register as well as preparing food and beverages for the customers. This explains that Atwood was not in her 'element', and it demonstrates that like the waitress, you do not need to have any special qualifications to be in your 'element.' Today however, Atwood has found her 'element' by being an author.
The ending of the essay is somewhat ironic when Atwood finally decides to quit her job. Her boss reveals to Atwood that they only hired her because they wanted someone as inept as her because they suspected their real cashier of stealing money. Atwood was so concerned about how to operate the register that she did not even think of stealing any money.
One last observation about this essay that I liked is that the title relates to more than one aspect mentioned in the essay. The title "Ka Ching" is an onomatopoeia that describes the sound of the cash register that Atwood operated. The title also represents that the only reason Atwood worked so long in the coffee shop was to pay for the difference between her scholarship and for the cost of living in her next school year.
I enjoyed dissecting this piece of writing and I look forward to reading and analyzing more essays in which I can relate too.