Analysis Of Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother

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Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” captures the plight of a family suffering from poverty during the Great Depression. The focus of the image is a mother who is taking care of her children. The title of this image suggests that the mother is a migrant, and at the time when this photograph was taken, many migrant families struggled through extreme poverty and hardship to survive. The picture depicts the importance of a mother for the survival and endurance of a family through difficult times.
The first impression of the mother is that of a strong, hardworking, and determined woman. She is clearly exhausted, but still she is determined to make her children feel comfortable. Her wrinkles, creased brows, and grimy skin make her look older than she is. Her hand touches the side of her chin suggesting a gesture of anxiety. Her face has a solemn expression with her gaze away from the camera’s lens. Her dress is ragged and untidy. The …show more content…
She is in the middle of the image, just as she is the prime of her family. The two children are leaning against her body. Their heads rest on her shoulders with comfort. The mother is bearing the weight of her children. At the same time, she is nursing her baby too. The specks around the baby’s mouth suggests she may have recently fed the baby. The mother is living in dire poverty, but she truly acts like a pillar for her family, using all her strength to support them. The children are relying on her to hold them up, thus she understands that she must be strong and determined for the sake of her children.
Lange’s “Migrant Mother” is a symbol of the Great Depression as well as a symbol of a great motherhood. The Depression was indeed an extremely difficult and challenging era but it did not defeat the motherhood of the women of that period. It made them stronger than before. This photograph appears to be simple, yet it tells the story of a
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