It is the year 1938 of the month of June and Dorothea Lange describes her photograph as, "She awaits the international streetcar at a corner in El Paso, Texas, to return across the bridge to Mexico." This woman is homeless and she does not have much with her. She is struggling to find a job and a home since she is elderly and has no family with her. Instead of finding a better life and a job in the United States, unfortunately this woman encountered the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl and it left her with no hope.
In her image, Dorothea Lange depicts a cry of help to the government that it is their responsibility to care for the sick and the needy and house those that do not have jobs. Many people's homes were destroyed by the dust storms and their health was affected as well. For this"Gypsy Woman" the only solution for her is to return back to Mexico in order to sustain under better condition than the United States is in facing the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
It is heart breaking to view an elderly person on the street with no type of help form anyone, she looks as if she is suffering yet there was many individuals just like her during this time period.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness and unemployment were two of the greatest issues affecting those living in America during the Great Depression. It must have been just as difficult for this woman to survive as it was for those directly affected by the dusters.
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart knowing that the elderly were also greatly affected by the Great Depression. It is hard to believe the government did not aid this woman.
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