Preamble

The crime drama movie I have chosen for this assignment was released in 1967 and told the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; it is Titled “Bonnie and Clyde.” While the movie itself is not factual ⁱ in its storyline and does not accurately reflect the lives of these two individuals. Interestingly, this deviance from fact reflects people’s perceptions of these persons and the continued romanticizing of the Barrows Gang.

The Players

Bonnie Parkerⁱⁱ: Born in Rowena, Texas, on October 1, 1910. Birth Order child number 3 of 3. Her father died in a construction accident when she was approximately four years old. Their siblings were Hubert (Buster) Parker and their younger sister Billie.

Bonnie was an honor student academically. At the Age of 15, she met Roy Thornton, whom she later married at the Age of 16. Thornton, for the lack of a better classification, was a small-time career criminal. Their marriage collapsed after Thornton was sent to prison for five years for a failed robbery attempt. Shortly after Thornton’s incarceration, she met Clyde Barrow.

Clyde Barrowⁱⁱⁱ: Born Telico, Texas, on March 24, 1909, Birth Order child number 5 of 7. In conclusion, the story of Bonnie and Clyde is a reflection of the social and economic circumstances of the time. The social disorganization theory and social strain theory provide a framework for understanding how the circumstances Bonnie and Clyde found themselves in led them down the path of crime. The lack of opportunities, combined with the social pressures to achieve predetermined goals, created a perfect storm that ultimately led to their demise. While the movie may not accurately reflect the lives of Bonnie and Clyde, it does provide a glimpse into the social and economic conditions that existed during that period. Overall, this assignment has provided a deeper understanding of criminological theories and their application to real-life scenarios.Attended school until 16, Had aspired to become a musician and could play the guitar and saxaphone. The family farm failed in the 1920s drought, so they moved to West Texas. An area that became known as “the Devil’s Back Porch.”^iv

Setting the Scene

The 1920s and 1930s were a tumultuous time in Texas; after the end of the 1^st world War in 1918, many jobs were lost due to a downturn in manufacturing, and soldiers returning from the war effort found they had no employment opportunities. 1929^v saw the stock market crash again, causing more hardship and job loss. In combination with the crash, we also see the beginning of the “Dustbowl.”^vi which caused many farmers to lose their farms to banks as their crops failed, and they could no longer afford to make loan payments. These displaced farmers migrated to urban areas, further exacerbating the unemployment issues that were already present. Although not displaced by foreclosure, many walked away and moved to the cities hoping to find work.

1920 saw the 19^th amendment enacted, which allowed women to vote in the USA. This was closely tied to the Women’s Temperance Movement, which saw the enactment of prohibition months prior to its adoption^vii

The government’s failure to deal with the unemployment issues, coupled with the stock market crash, disdain for financial institutions and the devalued dollar, and prohibition led to a complete lack of trust by the people in everything.

Social Disorganization Theory

The Devil’s Porch is the area where Bonnie and Clyde met. Its name says it all. This was otherwise known as West Texas, a part of Dallas County, a free campground for migrants to settle. This untended area received little to no civic services and little to no policing. It was compromised mainly of disenfranchised, out-of-work, out-of-money families. Some were single-parent families. Upon arrival, some, such as the Barrow family, had nothing to shelter their heads while they slept at night besides the wagon that brought them there.

Their geographic demographics fit well within the theory of social disorganization, satisfying low economics, transient composition, different ethnicities, and a significant number of single-parent families.

Social Strain

Social theory being the pressure that individuals feel to reach socially determined goals.^viii

Bonnie and Clyde were at the right time and the right place in history to fit in with this theory; both were born into a time when the opportunity to achieve a normal life was difficult. Both came from dislocated families. Bonnie was from a single-parent family. Although she herself was very intelligent, the opportunities to excel in life were limited. She was unemployed for a year prior to meeting Clyde Barrow. While not overtly intelligent, Clyde had aspirations of a better life than the one he was dealt with. Both Bonnie and Clyde started life knowing a better life than the ones they were currently leading and aspired to return to that life, but the opportunity to do so was limited.

Containment Theory

West Dallas, AKA The Devil’s Kitchen, was a portion of Dallas County that was set aside for the transient migrant. As stated previously, it received little to no civic funding. Law enforcement, basic amenities such as sanitation, availability of clean water, medical facilities could have been more present. West Dallas was created to keep the undesirables out of the more affluent neighborhoods. There was no social control within the limits of West Dallas.

In Conclusion

The story of Bonnie and Clyde provides an insight into the social and economic conditions that existed during the 1920s and 1930s, and how they contributed to the path of crime for these individuals. The application of criminological theories such as social disorganization theory and social strain theory helps us understand the factors that led to their criminal behavior. The lack of opportunities, combined with social pressures to achieve predetermined goals, created a perfect storm that ultimately led to their demise. Although the movie “Bonnie and Clyde” is not factual in its storyline, it reflects people’s perceptions and continued romanticizing of the Barrow Gang. Overall, this assignment helped in gaining a deeper understanding of criminological theories and their application to real-life scenarios.

i https://texoso66.com/2017/06/22/bonnie-and-clyde-film-1967-and-historical-facts/

ii https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/parker-bonnie

iii https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/barrow-clyde-chesnut

iv https://blog.smu.edu/engagedallas/resource-library/history-of-west-dallas/1920s-unwanted-families-including-clyde-barrows-settle-in-untended-part-of-dallas/

v https://texasourtexas.texaspbs.org/the-eras-of-texas/great-depression-ww2/

vi https://static.pbslearningmedia.org/media/media_files/d3e5842c-42af-4eee-97c2-de65c4771875/6eaf612d-0a69-488c-a423-0ddcef9be7da.mp4

vii https://time.com/5501680/prohibition-history-feminism-suffrage-metoo/

viii https://brightspace.algonquincollege.com/d2l/le/content/615498/viewContent/9221470/View