Bonnie and Clyde Essay

Violence has always been an issue of public concern within American society. During the years of the Great Depression, many gangs emerged on the territory of the United States. The formation of gangs was influenced by a variety of factors, which combined “culture, language, problems, poverty and discrimination” (Franzese116). The story of Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow, two American outlaw lovers, involves the functioning of the gang called “The Barrow Gang”, which included “notorious outlaws, robbers and criminals travelling the Central United States during the Great Depression, stealing cars and robbing small businesses and citizens” (Castleden13).  Bonnie and Clyde as robbers and criminals were famous across the United States. Their crimes were covered in the local newspapers as they “captured the attention of the American press and its readership between 1931and 1935” (Castleden 3). There were several members in the gang, including Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, Buck Barrow, Blanche Barrow, Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, Joe Palmer, Ralph Fults, and Henry Methvin.

Family Background

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born on October 1, 1910 in Rowena, Texas. She was the second child in the family which consisted of three children. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker’s father was a bricklayer. He was not a criminal. He died when the girl was only four years old. After his death, Bonnie Elizabeth Parker’s mother and her children moved to the house of her parents, in Cement City, one of the suburbs of Dallas. Her mother Emma Krause worked as a seamstress. Her grandfather Frank Krause came from Germany and lived with them. He was not involved in criminal activity. The girl was one of the best students in school. She was a winner in various competitions and won prizes in language studies, spelling, writing, and public speaking. She wrote poems. Some of her poems include “The Story of Suicide Sal” and “The Trail’s End” (Welch 9). At the age of 15, she dropped out of school. In 1926, she married her classmate, who later became a criminal. Then, they separated. She met Clyde in 1929. Bonnie was killed by federal officers on May 23, 1934 (Welch 9).

Clyde Chestnut Barrow

Clyde Chestnut Barrow was born on March 24, 1909.  He came from a poor family. He lived in Ellis County, Texas. His parents were poor farmers. He was the fifth child in the family, which consisted of seven children. His parents, Henry Basil Barrow and Cumie T. Walker were migrants. They came to Dallas in the early 1920s because of poor living conditions. In West Dallas, the family had to live in wagon for a long period of time. Clyde Barrow began to steal at the age of 17. His brother Marvin “Buck” Barrow was also a robber, a leader of the gang. He had an enormous influence on Clyde Barrow’s criminal activity. Physical abuse often occurred at home. Clyde’s first killing was beating to death his inmate, who raped him at Eastham Prison Farm in 1930. In general, Clyde’s family cannot be described as a law abiding family. Clyde Barrow was killed by police officers on May 23, 1934 (Welch 10).   

Individual Characteristics

The individual characteristics of Bonnie and Clyde have very much in common, although there are certain differences between them.

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was a person of strong personality. She loved risk and guns, although she did not kill people. She robbed banks and had fun. According to researchers, she was the one who fascinated people. Although a dozed or over dead people were left as the result of the gang’s criminal activity, she remained calm and felt self-confidence in her actions. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker dropped out of school when she was 15. She had no good education. She worked as a waitress in one of the cafes in Dallas. Bonnie was engaged in criminal activity when she was 19. She acted as an accomplice. The Borrow gang was part of their life. They participated in armed robberies and shootings on a regular basis. Bonnie was a loyal companion to Clyde as they were involved in criminal activity and had to commit violent crimes together (Castleden 20).

Clyde Chestnut Barrow

Clyde Chestnut Barrow was a real serial killer. He could strike without warning. Clyde Chestnut Barrow was never educated past the fifth grade. According to Chloe Castleden,“Clyde’s school days were few” (23). When Clyde was 12 years old, he dropped out of school and became a juvenile criminal. He was involved in selling stolen goods (clothes, jewellery, cars, etc.) with one of his brothers. Marvin Barrow was the leader of the gang. Clyde did not have any profession. He was a criminal. Actually, Clyde and Bonnie were not involved in any type of community agencies or church. Clyde began engaging in criminal activity when he was 12. He committed different types of crime, such as robbery, murders, kidnappings, bank robberies, automobile thefts, assault and battery incidents (Castleden 23).

Serial Killing

Serial killers have different motivations for committing serial killing. The motivations of serial killers are associated with “the anticipated gains” (Holmes & Holmes 97). In other words, motivation for committing serial killing is connected with the hope of a criminal that will be realized from the act of crime. The motivation of Bonnie and Clyde to kill people rests within their psyche that is focused on stealing money. The country was in great depression. There were no jobs. Unemployment and inflation led to the increase in criminal activity. The Barrow gang was formed as a means to avoid negative consequences of depression the country was facing in the 1930s.

At the same time, it is necessary to add that Bonnie and Clyde were lovers. They need money to travel. Actually, Bonnie and Clyde can be called outlaw lovers. According to psychologists, some serial killers are motivated by the “desire for media fame” (Grant 32). They killed in part to become famous as killers and robbers, seeing themselves as “simulations in the newspapers and television reports” (Grant 32). Bonnie and Clyde were concerned about their coverage in the local newspapers and TV news.

Bonnie and Clyde have different types of personalities. According to the research, Bonnie Parker may or may not have used guns to commit crimes (Castleden 21). For Bonnie Parker, the number of shots or killings is not important because she had never killed anyone.  However, she was a known accomplice to more than 100 crimes during two year period of her criminal activity in the gang. Thus, Bonnie is not a killer, she is an accomplice.

Clyde had a different type of personality, based on the behavior patterns and the number of criminal acts. He killed many people in order to get money. Clyde was an organized killer. He always sought single individuals who were vulnerable. As an organized killer, Clyde was intelligent, socially competent and goal-oriented. He selected some smaller jobs, which guaranteed 100% success, e.g. robberies of small grocery stores and small gas stations, as well as bank robberies, which were committed by him and the Barrow Gang members. The killings took place in the streets, on the roads and in shops and private houses. There were no a particular type of victim each time. The reason for this was to choose the most suitable victims.

Bonnie and Clyde were engaged in killing by means of shooting. They used guns. Clyde’s favored weapon he used to kill people was BAR, or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. There is a link between the motivation and the method of killing. Bonnie and Clyde were motivated not by pleasure, but by the need for money. Gun is the best tool used by robbers for killing people who have money. Bonnie and Clyde were not involved in cannibalism. There is no accurate statistical data on the number of victims killed by criminals, but presumably there were more than a dozen people. The killings stopped because the criminals were killed by the police officers.     

Current Status

Bonnie and Clyde were shot by federal state officers in 1934; therefore, there was no official execution of these criminals, there were no last meal and last words.

                   

 

 

Works Cited

Castleden, Chloe. Bonnie and Clyde: The Notorious Barrow Gang. Constable Robinson, 2011. Print.

Grant, Barry Keith. “American Psychosis: the Pure Products of America Go Crazy” in Mythologies of Violence in Postmodern Media, ed. by Christopher Sharrett. Wayne State University Press, 1999. Print.

Franzese, Robert J. Youth Gangs. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2006. Print.

Holmes, Ronald M. & Holmes, Stephen T. Serial Murder. SAGE Publications, 2009. Print.

Welch, Henry D. From Bonnie and Clyde to Federal Prison. Xlibris Corporation, 2011. Print.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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