Truman 1953 Road Trip Analysis
I agree with everything you mentioned in your post. Cars without air conditioning and safety features seem foreign in today's automobile standards. Today, American society as a whole is used to all the comforts and conditions of the nation's roadways and related businesses. However, in 1953, going on a road trip would be completely different than going on a road trip today. The author demonstrates these differences constantly throughout the novel.
One of the first differences I noticed was that Harry planned out their journey by hand using road maps to calculate what route they would take, as well as how far they would travel (35). In today's technological world, anyone wanting to go on a road trip could plan and route their trip via Google Maps or MapQuest. Google Maps will even go so far as to let the driver know if there are any points along the way where road construction might slow down or interrupt the road trip. Road construction and maintenance will almost always become an issue on long distance road trips, and the machines and techniques have also …show more content…
changed. For example, in 1953, although similar to the methods used today in road construction, the following tools were used: "a shovel (automatic) and a drag line were working as well as some laboring men digging the old fashioned way" (50). Today, modern equipment like "... backhoes, bulldozers, and graders..." are used to construct new roads (49).
Gas prices, fuel economy, food, and lodging are some more differences between Truman's 1953 road trip and a similar road trip taken today.
In 1953, gas was roughly twenty-seven cents per gallon (61). In contrast, gas today is about two dollars and nine cents per gallon (varies across the country).When stopped at the gas station to purchase more gas, Bess Truman had to figure out the fuel efficiency manually, but to figure fuel efficiency today, the driver only needs to push a button, and the car will show the gas mileage automatically (61). While the Truman's were stopped in a town getting gas, there were no Dairy Queen or McDonald's restaurants, only local diners, such as the one they stopped at in Hannibal Missouri (51). If they needed to stay the night in a town, the Truman's were often catered to by local motels, but today there are rest stops and chain hotels everywhere along major U.S. highways
(63-64).
As times change, the roads and road trips change as well. The 1953 road trip that Harry and Bess Truman went on was a less comfortable, and sometimes inconvenient, trip. In today's world, a road trip like the one they took would have comforts and conveniences like air conditioning, chain hotels, and fast food restaurants along the way. Although there are still some similarities between a 1953 road trip and a similar one taken today, times have changed, and so have the roads.
One of the first differences I noticed was that Harry planned out their journey by hand using road maps to calculate what route they would take, as well as how far they would travel (35). In today's technological world, anyone wanting to go on a road trip could plan and route their trip via Google Maps or MapQuest. Google Maps will even go so far as to let the driver know if there are any points along the way where road construction might slow down or interrupt the road trip. Road construction and maintenance will almost always become an issue on long distance road trips, and the machines and techniques have also …show more content…
changed. For example, in 1953, although similar to the methods used today in road construction, the following tools were used: "a shovel (automatic) and a drag line were working as well as some laboring men digging the old fashioned way" (50). Today, modern equipment like "... backhoes, bulldozers, and graders..." are used to construct new roads (49).
Gas prices, fuel economy, food, and lodging are some more differences between Truman's 1953 road trip and a similar road trip taken today.
In 1953, gas was roughly twenty-seven cents per gallon (61). In contrast, gas today is about two dollars and nine cents per gallon (varies across the country).When stopped at the gas station to purchase more gas, Bess Truman had to figure out the fuel efficiency manually, but to figure fuel efficiency today, the driver only needs to push a button, and the car will show the gas mileage automatically (61). While the Truman's were stopped in a town getting gas, there were no Dairy Queen or McDonald's restaurants, only local diners, such as the one they stopped at in Hannibal Missouri (51). If they needed to stay the night in a town, the Truman's were often catered to by local motels, but today there are rest stops and chain hotels everywhere along major U.S. highways
(63-64).
As times change, the roads and road trips change as well. The 1953 road trip that Harry and Bess Truman went on was a less comfortable, and sometimes inconvenient, trip. In today's world, a road trip like the one they took would have comforts and conveniences like air conditioning, chain hotels, and fast food restaurants along the way. Although there are still some similarities between a 1953 road trip and a similar one taken today, times have changed, and so have the roads.