A Little Confusion

 I just finished reading The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah.  I enjoy her books and think that they really epitomize the concept of traveling to different times and places so that one may broaden her knowledge of those times and places.

This book took the reader to the era of the Dust Bowl and to the Texas Panhandle and southern California.  I remember studying this time period, learning about the Okies and FDR, Steinbeck's travels and his writing of The Grapes of Wrath.  But this was different.  Maybe it was because I am older.  More mature.  Better educated.  Maybe it is because some of our citizens are experiencing similar situations now with the pandemic and the new administration.  At any rate, no matter the reason, the book made me think and caused a little bit of confusion in my mind.

What happened to Elsa and her children was sad and just flat out wrong.  But they tried hard.  They made do.  They worked in the fields for low wages.  Their clothes were tattered, holey, and dirty much of the time.  But they tried hard.

Elsa and her children worked in the cotton fields for an amount of money per 100 pounds of cotton picked.  They were given chits with the wage listed on them.  At the general store on the farm property they could use their chits to purchase food and other goods, but to use their chits, 10% was deducted.  If they wanted cash for the chit so they could spend their money in town where the prices were cheaper, another percentage was deducted.  Also they had to pay for the bags that they used for their picked cotton.  If they had other bags that could be used, those were denied and they were forced to pay for the bags supplied by the farmer.  All of this seemed wrong to me.  Actually it was wrong.  But they were stuck and they had no choice.  

They met Jack who was a sympathizer to the workers.  He tried to organize them so that they could earn better wages and live in better conditions.    I understand unions and I understand workers wanting to be paid fairly for the work that they do.  I also understand that workers should be allowed to buy goods wherever they choose, not be forced to pay higher prices and have a percentage taken out of their wages because they are being forced to shop on the property.  I also remember that my dad was against unions and striking.  I remember not wanting to tell him that I belonged to the teachers organization at West Central and that by doing so I was showing my support when our team negotiated for higher wages for all of us and better benefits.  They also offered legal services if a teacher were unjustly challenged or accused of inappropriate actions that were totally unfounded. That scared me enough to make joining the teachers union easy.  (And I blame Mom for that....she never believed me when I told her the truth so I was scared I would never be believed if I were to be accused of something I didn't do---thankfully that never happened).  Back to the book...I totally understand why the workers needed to be organized in order to protect their rights.  

But there was the link to communism.  I didn't realize that forming a union was a communist thing.  I didn't know that expecting an honest wage for an honest day's work was part of communism.  So I am a little confused on that.  

On the other hand as I was reading I saw parallels between what happened then and what is happening now.  Small shop owners were forced out of business.  Migrant workers were taking jobs that citizens had done previously.  Those who were traveling from their dust bowl homes west to find new jobs so that they could survive and provide for their children were considered 'dirty migrants' even though they were citizens of the United States and even though they had been productive, lived in nice homes, had made decent livings---but it was all gone with the wind.

I recalled that those who were left behind and survived, did so because they tried the new farming methods and new crops instead of sinking everything into what they already knew and relying on what they had done in the past.  Sometimes change is necessary and it is good.  

As I read also, I felt so guilty about the amount of food we consume in a day and even more guilty about the amount of food that goes into the trash because it isn't eaten and spoils in the fridge.  I just tossed a package of cheese that had moldy spots on several pieces.  If Elsa had been here, she would have been breaking off the pieces with the mold and salvaging the rest to ration over several days and meals for herself and her children.

So yes, I am moved and I am confused.  Working for fair wages.  Food supplies. Communism.  The Dust Bowl.     Cheating people out of their wages.  

I hope and pray that history does not repeat itself.