Dust Bowl Analysis

The Determination of a Mother In 1936, one of the worst natural disasters the United States has ever been through occurred, the “Dust Bowl.” This disaster turned most of the fields into dust and led many Americans to a life of poverty. Dorothea Lange took many photographs of the devastation for the federal government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA). Most people recognize Lange’s photo the “Migrant Mother,” but few know that this photo is in a sequence of photographs. Lange took 6 pictures of one family that was strugling during the “Dust Bowl.” These pictures are known as “The Migrant Mother Sequence.” The third photograph in the sequence shows how the mother cared for her baby, how the mother was struggling to get by, and how the mother was determined to get through the families hard times. The mother in the photograph cared deeply not only for her baby, but also for her other children. The photograph …show more content…
When looking at the mothers face, one might think that the mother is not going to make it through the “Dust Bowl.” But, there are many things that prove otherwise. First of all the look on her face is one of determination. The mother is determined to keep her family alive, as we can see by her feeding her child. The mother is wearing a wedding ring on her left hand which suggests that she is hopeful and that she thinks that her and her family will pull through. Her hands are warned, but still strong. The way her left hand holds tight to her right could suggest that she is still holding on strong and that she will fight to her dying breath to get her and her family through the devastation of the “Dust Bowl”. She is a migrant worker, which tells us that she has to work hard to survive, but she has made it so far and she will keep trying. There is also a hint of a smile on her lips, which portrays that she knows that she and her family are sure to get out of the situation