Hey guys! I know some of you have probably already read this, but I wanted to share it here so that I will always have a permanent copy. It was a school history assignment; to find a photo from the great depression and create a 5 paragraph story to go along with it that shows a more in depth look at the great depression. I made up the idea to do different perspectives and times. There might be some small typos I didn't catch. I did use Corn, Oklahoma as a location for two reasons. One, it was a struggling place during this era and two, my grandma lives there. Shout out to Meemaw!! Enjoy.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 2:30 AM
Sadie
Sadie looked at the sky. Her face stared with wide brown eyes that were so deep you get lost in them. She could almost remember the constellations, the exact spot of the stars, and even the stories her father used to tell about them. Her particular favorite was one about a little girl who discovered she could fly. One day the little girl ran away from home to fly around the world. Every time she was lost she looked to the stars, and when she finally returned home, she told her stories to the stars through constellations to show her gratitude. Sadie closed her eyes. The thought brought her back to the farm she was raised, laying on the field, dreaming of her future. The thought also brought her tears. The world was so small then.
That night, even looking away from the sky, Sadie couldn’t sleep. She’d tried everything, racked her brain of any thought, but could not sleep. Her job was to get a job. How could that have seemed so simple before? And then it hit her. The reason she couldn’t sleep was because she didn’t want to wake up. The day awaiting her was sure to be filled with nothing but failure, and each passing day meant another day closer to when she had to go home and face her family. Were they expecting her to come home with loads of money to spare? In reality she had nothing, definitely not enough to support her whole family-her siblings, parents, grandparents- and definitely not enough to support herself.
She tried to organize her thoughts. Apparently special groups with long acronyms are supposed to help her; she heard it on the radio a while back. The new president, Roosevelt, was supposed to re-make the system with his new deal. And all these women with the Rosie Riveter cartoon. It was just completely confusing! Sadie passed by those stupid towns filled with hopeless people every day, Hoovervilles. Because of the crash in the stock market, people weren’t buying as many crops. No one needed food for the soldiers anymore and; quite frankly, the prices were just going to keep dropping. Her family was going to loose their farm, and then, most likely, their house. Sadie shuddered. The thought of living in one of those shantytowns made her shiver. With that thought, she shifted uncomfortably to sleep.
CORN, OKLAHOMA 3:00 AM
Jacob
Put the bottle down! This was a lot harder than it looked. Everything spun. Which was it, the feeling he was going to barf, or the fact he knew what he was doing? All alone here Jacob felt as if vultures were picking apart his brain. He took another drink. And this wasn’t the first time; the vultures had been in his head before. Flapping their ugly wings, picking him apart. They were hated by the world; just like him. But he let them in. Again and again.
Just then Elizabeth walked in, her small body trembling with anger. She started yelling something intolerable, her words just coming like lava out of a volcano. It made everything feel hot, like they were drowning. It rose slowly, her angry words- get out, put the bottle down, get a job – but when she said Sadie, time stopped. What was Jacob doing? Elizabeth’s warn old face looked tired and desperate. She walked out into dark night, unsuccessful and now shaking more then ever.
Was it possible that even in her sick, old, frail state, even Sadie’s grandmother could tell that something was wrong? His thoughts were clouded. He had tried before to get a job, but lost them due to his absence on days when hangovers prevented him from going. The newspaper had a jobs section, but it seemed like the articles about high unemployment rates and the depression were always blocking them.
With no one to buy the crops of Sadie’s and Jacob’s family farm, no one had to work to harvest them. It’s not like they could pay the rate migrant workers wanted these days anyway. With no one working and no crops being sold, there was no income. Jacob knew he would soon have to sell the land in order to keep their home. But no one was buying! The endless cycle of the economy grew worse and worse, and now he was spending more money on drinks than on food to feed his own kids. Where were they anyway? With no one hiring and jobs hard to find, more and more of his former friends went without a job. They had no money, so they bought less, and then there were even less jobs! It seemed like there was no way to win this constant battle.
Where was Sadie? Had he been the reason for her going? He had to go find her! It was just a crazy hallucination. She had left a note, but Jacob was too drunk to read it. His thoughts kept drifting back to her face; perfect brown hair braided down her back, perfectly framing her face and those big eyes. He really did miss her and knew for sure that she would not be returning. He had made her go! Kicked her out, literally. Forced her, blamed her for the countless bills that were overdue. Why couldn’t things be like how they used too? He took another drink. It was her daring attitude to be different from the other girls that had made him fall in love back in the early twenties. But things took a down turn when people in the city lost their money in the stock market once it crashed. And that was the first of many things to crash down. The bottle he just threw shattered against the cold, hard, barn floor. The vultures stayed in.
CORN, OKLAHOMA 3:15 AM
Elizabeth
He didn’t understand. She was just trying to help! Even though her life was spent in bed, even Elizabeth could tell that things weren’t right. And now for some reason, no one would tell her where her darling Sadie had gone. It was her who had raised Sadie after her mother died, her who had taken care of her- and now she had simply disappeared? Elizabeth feared she would soon disappear herself.
Sadie’s children, so young, were without parental supervision, supposed to be watched by Jacob! Elizabeth had hated that man from the start, knowing her granddaughter was just in summer love. But now they had married and he was supposed to watch the kids! Provide a good life for them! What were they eating now, food off the street? Elizabeth cried everyday for them, praying for them. She couldn’t even stand up, and she could only speak on her better days. It was a miracle she had made it out to the barn without falling down. They would never be able to cure her, and absolutely not hire a doctor. She tried not to think it, but she really wished she could just die already-that wasn’t going to happen though, at least for a little while longer. So, she was banished to the bed, with no one to care for her and nothing she could do. Helpless.
The people from the expensive nursing home in town used to stop by and offer to take Elizabeth away. But Sadie refused to let her go, vowing that the lady who raised her would live with her forever. Now the nursing home people wouldn’t come. Everyone knew they were broke. Elizabeth was alone.
CORN, OKLAHOMA 4:00 AM
Micheal
He looked around. Carly, the twins, and Timmy were all sound asleep. For night time, it was still offly hot. They were laying in the field a ways away from the barn. Today had been yet another unsucessful day, with still no money and no jobs. Micheal felt that, as the oldest boy, it was his job to keep everyone together. He was the man of the pack, and he tried to stay strong for the little ones, but he knew what was going to happen. Because unlike everyone else, Micheal had a maturity that all the kids lacked. He knew that although it would eventually end, this depression wasn't going to stop for awhile. He needed to get some help and fast- today he had to give up his ration for Timmy, the littlest todler of the group. He had just a few mintues ago heard a crash in the direction of the barn. He tried to focus his attention somewhere else, away from his stupid father and away from this stupid life.
Micheal looked up, with the same big eyes as his mother. All around him he saw stars, shining so bright. He found comfort in them. They were so solid, like rocks, except prettier and shinier. His mom had always said that one day, she would tell them stories about the stars and their placement, but was always putting it off for a later time. Was there going to be a later time? Micheal prayed with all his heart that his mom was going to come home with jobs and money and food, and everyone would be happy again. But his conciense told him no. And he knew his conciense was right.
He remembered the little hat he had given his mother before she left. She had told him stay safe and he replied don't get sunburned- although he wished he woud've said goodbye. He had found it right off from one of those shantytowns, probably something that had blown away. Everyday he feared the wind, feared those scary storms would come. But as he looked at the stars with his mothers eyes, he found hope. And with his little boy maturity, he decided he would find his mom no matter what. Under the stars, Micheal felt his mothers presence. With that thought, little Micheal shifted to sleep.
