Caroline Henderson's account vividly describes the effects of the Dust Bowl, highlighting both the environmental catastrophe and economic hardship that made it incredibly difficult for farming families to survive.
Of the various descriptions of the Dust Bowl and its impact on American families, Caroline Henderson's account presents a vivid portrayal that encapsulates the struggle. She writes about the environmental catastrophe and the economic hardship that made survival for farming families difficult:
'Now we are facing a fourth year of failure. There can be no wheat for us in 1935 despite all our careful and expensive work in preparing ground, sowing and re-sowing our allocated acreage... Impossible it seems not to grieve that the work of hands should prove so perishable.'
This excerpt best shows the juxtaposition of farmers' hard work against the futility brought about by the Dust Bowl, where relentless dust storms, severe drought, and agricultural ruin led to a sense of despair and loss.