Dust Bowl Diary: Women During the Great Depression
A young
women named Ann Marie Low from North Dakota writes about her struggles during
the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era in her personal diary. In this
specific writing, Low talks about not wanting to marry a man named Cap who is
devotedly in love with her. At this time, Low was one of many who would reject
a marriage proposal. During the 1930’s, America was going through its most
difficult times. These times greatly affected millions of Americans. Low,
coming from North Dakota, not only struggled with the depression but also the
terrible dust storm that kept farmers from growing crops leaving them severely
impoverished due to the lack of crops. There was no escape from this nightmare
since many banks crashed leaving people with nothing. Under the given
circumstances you might be able to understand why Ann chose not to get married
as well as have children. Women at this time depended on men but many men were
unemployed, homeless, and couldn’t provide for themselves.
In the Diary of Ann Marie Low, she is hesitant in marrying Cap because of the economic struggles affecting not only one individual but everyone across the country. At the time, couples were sacrificing marriages waiting to see better times. Low had to take care of younger relatives and Cap had to run the family’s farm until his younger brother was old enough. Marie takes into consideration that by the time she had finished her obligations to her relatives, Cap would most likely be thirty six years old. She doubts Cap would like that. Cap wants to marry Low immediately. In fact, Low writes how all he wants is her even if he can get with any other women who offered themselves. Both of them are not financially stabled alone and are barely making ends meet with their family’s help. Although, Cap being the age thirty-two years old does not have anything to provide her. Especially if they were to grow a family. They could barely support each other. She didn’t want to worsen things and go away from her family where situations would worsen. During this time, it was the man who provided for his the wife. He was seen as a prince (the hero) who would take care of his wife and kids where a women had to depend on a man. Ann and Cap are living during the Dust Bowl and the Depression era which were huge issues out of their control, therefore, Cap cannot be this hero for Ann. Especially how she mentions he is a farm boy, she makes it sound as if he won’t really benefit much from getting out of that system. Cap most likely will always be a farm boy since that is what he knows. In the writing, it also mentions how Ann herself has a college education. Clearly we can infer these two come from different economic statuses in society, which at the time was a big deal. In fact, during this hardship of depression and the dust bowl going on one of Ann’s relatives is attending college. Whereas Cap is working in the farm waiting for his brother to come of age to be the new provider of the family. Ann, coming from a higher background, has more options that are more suitable for her status. When she looks at him she sees his future as never going anywhere and his dreams never coming true.
Even though Ann is a college educated woman her main role according to society is to be a home maker. Marriage means children, therefor, so much more is asked from a women to really take the role of being a mother. This being said, the man was the provider for the family and his wife. Low’s diary reflects the issues of women in the 1930’s from every age. From young women such as Ann portrays in her diary, to older women. With the young women, they struggled on whether or not to get married if a guy would ask them to. Most young women would choose not because a woman belonged at home. Young women knew the challenges they were going to face becoming mothers and not being able to provide for her family since her husband would not be making enough or even worse, not have a job. Young women who were not ready for this type of situation would rather try avoiding this issue since many women already had to be providing at home for their families barely surviving. On the other hand, Ann’s diary even shows a reflection to those women who were already married and with children. It gives us this sense of how much these women must had struggled since most of these women’s husbands were unemployed during this hard time in America where over 4.2 million Americans had lost their job! For this reason, women and their families faced fatigue, starvation, and sickness. No woman ever wanted to see their kids suffer in such a way.
In conclusion, Ann’s Diary serves as a manuscript for supporting women’s struggles during this era. The diary concludes the different issues most women faced since it gives us a broad picture of the troubles. Low, in her diary, makes us ponder and reflect deeply why she wouldn’t want to marry a handsome man especially knowing how at the time a woman was better off making a life with the one who would provide basic necessities in raising a family. After we read her diary, we must take into consideration what is going on during this time. After taking a good look at the situations during this time, Ann’s Diary makes sense in why she refuses to marry a man who loves her. Ann tells a story not only of herself but also of what many women at the time faced since they had no financial security. Worse we see an image of these women who were already married and struggling to survive. As previously stated, women’s sole responsibility at this time was to be the housewife. The women needed to somehow provide food, clothing, and basic needs to their husband and kids. Given the fact this was the Great Depression this was not an easy occupation for anyone to take.
Source: Ann Marie Low, Dust Bowl Diary (Lincoln: University of Lincoln Press, 1984), 100.
In the Diary of Ann Marie Low, she is hesitant in marrying Cap because of the economic struggles affecting not only one individual but everyone across the country. At the time, couples were sacrificing marriages waiting to see better times. Low had to take care of younger relatives and Cap had to run the family’s farm until his younger brother was old enough. Marie takes into consideration that by the time she had finished her obligations to her relatives, Cap would most likely be thirty six years old. She doubts Cap would like that. Cap wants to marry Low immediately. In fact, Low writes how all he wants is her even if he can get with any other women who offered themselves. Both of them are not financially stabled alone and are barely making ends meet with their family’s help. Although, Cap being the age thirty-two years old does not have anything to provide her. Especially if they were to grow a family. They could barely support each other. She didn’t want to worsen things and go away from her family where situations would worsen. During this time, it was the man who provided for his the wife. He was seen as a prince (the hero) who would take care of his wife and kids where a women had to depend on a man. Ann and Cap are living during the Dust Bowl and the Depression era which were huge issues out of their control, therefore, Cap cannot be this hero for Ann. Especially how she mentions he is a farm boy, she makes it sound as if he won’t really benefit much from getting out of that system. Cap most likely will always be a farm boy since that is what he knows. In the writing, it also mentions how Ann herself has a college education. Clearly we can infer these two come from different economic statuses in society, which at the time was a big deal. In fact, during this hardship of depression and the dust bowl going on one of Ann’s relatives is attending college. Whereas Cap is working in the farm waiting for his brother to come of age to be the new provider of the family. Ann, coming from a higher background, has more options that are more suitable for her status. When she looks at him she sees his future as never going anywhere and his dreams never coming true.
Even though Ann is a college educated woman her main role according to society is to be a home maker. Marriage means children, therefor, so much more is asked from a women to really take the role of being a mother. This being said, the man was the provider for the family and his wife. Low’s diary reflects the issues of women in the 1930’s from every age. From young women such as Ann portrays in her diary, to older women. With the young women, they struggled on whether or not to get married if a guy would ask them to. Most young women would choose not because a woman belonged at home. Young women knew the challenges they were going to face becoming mothers and not being able to provide for her family since her husband would not be making enough or even worse, not have a job. Young women who were not ready for this type of situation would rather try avoiding this issue since many women already had to be providing at home for their families barely surviving. On the other hand, Ann’s diary even shows a reflection to those women who were already married and with children. It gives us this sense of how much these women must had struggled since most of these women’s husbands were unemployed during this hard time in America where over 4.2 million Americans had lost their job! For this reason, women and their families faced fatigue, starvation, and sickness. No woman ever wanted to see their kids suffer in such a way.
In conclusion, Ann’s Diary serves as a manuscript for supporting women’s struggles during this era. The diary concludes the different issues most women faced since it gives us a broad picture of the troubles. Low, in her diary, makes us ponder and reflect deeply why she wouldn’t want to marry a handsome man especially knowing how at the time a woman was better off making a life with the one who would provide basic necessities in raising a family. After we read her diary, we must take into consideration what is going on during this time. After taking a good look at the situations during this time, Ann’s Diary makes sense in why she refuses to marry a man who loves her. Ann tells a story not only of herself but also of what many women at the time faced since they had no financial security. Worse we see an image of these women who were already married and struggling to survive. As previously stated, women’s sole responsibility at this time was to be the housewife. The women needed to somehow provide food, clothing, and basic needs to their husband and kids. Given the fact this was the Great Depression this was not an easy occupation for anyone to take.
Source: Ann Marie Low, Dust Bowl Diary (Lincoln: University of Lincoln Press, 1984), 100.
Significant Quote
"The men, cut adrift from their usual routine, lost much of their sense of time and dawdled helplessly and dully about the streets; while in the homes the women’s world remained largely intact and the round of cooking, housecleaning, and mending became if anything more absorbing.” - Sociologist Robert and Helen Lynd
This quote is quite relevant in where it showed a great reflection of the women's challenges during the Great Depression. The women's role during the Great Depression never left rather it increased! Women were depended on feeding, cleaning, clothing their families even when the economic was down. It was a huge pressure women had on themselves. This quote basically lays off how many men didn't have anything to provide to his family. The women had to accept this pressure and try to make a living with what they had. This quote also is relevant because many couples such as in Ann's Diary did not want marry and live like this. Many preferred to stay with their families since it was the man who had to have something to provide for a women and his future family. With Ann from her diary, although she was a college graduate at the time since women were greatly needed at home, Ann most likely was going to be a home maker depending on who she married. That is why since men had nothing to provide especially coming from a farming family they preferred to wait until both were ready.
Multimedia gallery
The significance of this picture is to give a visual image to those people who aren't very clear what the Dust
Bowl was all about or more give a visual to show how serious and frightening the Dust Bowl was. It is different reading than actually seeing a visual image in our heads placing ourselves in that situation. These huge dust storms gives us an understanding what mothers and families had to do to really try to protect one another although many got sick because of these storms. Ann's diary talks about two major problems during the 1930's era. It was the Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. Ann experienced both of these and this image really gives us an understanding to her writings especially on the part on not wanting to get married any time soon.
Bowl was all about or more give a visual to show how serious and frightening the Dust Bowl was. It is different reading than actually seeing a visual image in our heads placing ourselves in that situation. These huge dust storms gives us an understanding what mothers and families had to do to really try to protect one another although many got sick because of these storms. Ann's diary talks about two major problems during the 1930's era. It was the Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. Ann experienced both of these and this image really gives us an understanding to her writings especially on the part on not wanting to get married any time soon.
A very powerful picture taken by Dorothea Lange captured a moment that represented most faces of mothers during this time in the Great Depression. There is a mother with a worry, despair look in her face with two sons leaning against her. This image captures a great understanding to Ann's Diary since this was what she was trying to avoid and not getting married. If she were to marry, she would be one of these mothers poor look in their faces. Ann already struggling with her family at home was at least not responsible for a husband nor children.
In this picture we see pure men standing in line for food. As we can read in the sign it says for the unemployed. As we can visually see many men were unemployed and for whatever reason seek for food in these lines since it was free. No women stands in these lines as we can see women were not meant to work during this time rather stay at home and take care of the children while it was the men who were outside wondering around finding ways to get by. Obviously, these men had no way to provide for their families and so why would couples want to marry since most likely this was how there situation was going to turn out. Men who are the one who were responsible for bringing home the money were looking out to find food for themselves since unemployment was tremendously high. As we can see there were food lines and nowadays we don't really see this out on the corner of the street. Additionally, how was a women made to feel to see there husbands standing in lines for food? Not very likely good and as we can see these men dreams were shut away.
The song Out of Nowhere is a very short song where a man talks about a women he loves but the women does not stay with him rather she decides to go back as he puts it out of nowhere since most likely the women does not feel ready to be with the man. The man sings how he will wait for her since his heart is in love with her and he hopes she returns with love back towards him. This song relates with Ann since the man Cap wanted to marry her but she didn't since she had her obligations at home where this songs put this as 'no where.' We can see with this song many men faced these heartbreaking moments when the women they loved didn't feel ready into marrying them and did not show the love back in return. The singer begins singing on 1:30.
Here we see another picture of a mother with her children. Seeing the picture all of them are not wearing any shoes. You can see the mothers face tired but there holding strong taking care of her children. This picture is another reflection to many women in America who faced these challenges taking care of there children. It really must had been hard also to young women watching this and to decide in marrying or not since they were going to most likely become of a reflection of this picture.