The Declining Economy In Karen Hesse's Out Of The Dust

In Karen Hesse’s novel Out of the Dust the declining economy has a substantial impact on people’s lives in this story. Billie Jo describes her experience of the Dust Bowl and depicts the struggles that the citizens of Oklahoma go through when they lose their way of income. The majority of people in this novel were farmers and their livelihood depended on the growth of their crops and their animals. The continuous dust storms destroyed any and all means of economic growth. The dwindling economy affected everything around it, including the crops, citizens, government, and political leaders. During the plot, these factors represent symbiotic relationships because they either help or hinder each other. Each of these had their own part in shaping the economy; some were more affected than others and some tried their best to help the people in serious aid. By focusing on the economy, there is use of Marxian economics because it focuses on “the role of labor in the development of an economy, and is critical of the classical approach to wages and productivity” (Investopedia). Growing crops is the main source of income for the farmers in this story and there is a give and take relationship with the economy. For example, dying crops do not bring any revenue for
Roosevelt believed that trees were the answer to the dust storms. He says, “trees / will end the drought, / the animals can take shelter there, / children can take shelter” and that “trees have roots” which means they “hold on to the land” (Hesse 75). Roosevelt wanted to create a new support system that would help rebuild the economy. The trees have a strong foothold in the earth that helps them stand strong even during the toughest storms. Roosevelt believed that if society stands tall like the trees then maybe they could make it past the struggles of the