Economic Insecurity and Community Theme Analysis

Bud, Not Buddy, a novel by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the story of a 10-year-old orphan named Bud Caldwell who must fend for himself after he flees his hometown of Flint, Michigan, in search of the man he believes to be his father, Herman E. Calloway. Carrying nothing but mementos of his dead mother, Momma, in a raggedy suitcase, Bud rejects the abusive care of the Amoses, the foster parents that the Home, Bud’s orphanage, places him with. Instead, Bud takes his chances taking care of himself on the road during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Despite the uncertainties of the time period, Bud finds help in the most unlikely places from the most unlikely people. For instance, through his time with his “pretend parents” at the mission and his time in Hooverville amongst men and women from different walks of life, united by the goal of surviving the hard and financially troubling times they are all in, Bud finds a defense to the economic turmoil. Consequently, Curtis suggests that economic insecurity is the great unifier in this novel. It minimizes the differences among strangers so that people are more open to realizing what they have in common with each other—even with a 10-year-old orphan on the run—rather than what makes them different. Moreover, Curtis proves that the absence of economic security can force even the most distrusting of people to find the courage to lean on strangers as a buffer against financial uncertainties.

One of the best examples of the unifying possibilities of shared economic hardships happens when Bud meets his “pretend poppa” and “pretend momma” for the first time, while in line for food at the mission. In the moment, Bud has to make a quick decision between trusting an unknown adult and going hungry. Bud, used to being self-sufficient, initially resists the help of his “pretend poppa.” When the man attempts to rescue him from leaving the mission without food—after a guard threatens Bud—by pretending that Bud is his son, Bud almost ruins the plan by telling the man that “[his] name’s not Clarence.” Bud’s distrust of strangers comes out and he reacts, without thinking, by rejecting the man’s “giant warm hand […] around [his] neck from behind,” and with it, the man’s pretense of knowing Bud in an intimate way. The man, however, does not give in to Bud’s resistance; he shakes his head to keep Bud quiet and shoves Bud towards his wife with a firm rebuke to “get back in line with your momma.” His actions suggest to Bud that, whether he likes it or not, they are all in this together, at least in this one moment. If it means Bud has to temporarily join his family to eat at a time when the next meal isn’t promised, then so be it. As a result, Bud finally consents to playing along with his pretend parents, even admitting to himself that he “was grateful to these people.” He ultimately chooses to have faith in strangers rather than to starve. In short, Bud realizes he cannot survive an empty stomach and an uncertain future without the help of people willing to be his “pretend” guardians. Consequently, he agrees to forge a bond with the strangers because of their shared economic hardship, which in that moment, overrides any differences they have.

Bud’s realization deepens when he meets the multiracial and economically displaced folks in Hooverville, while he is on his way to the “West” with his friend Bugs. It is there that he is able to see the unifying potential of economic turmoil firsthand. Upon entering Hooverville, a man simply known as the “mouth organ player” welcomes Bud by asking him if he’s hungry, tired, and “scared about what’s going to happen tomorrow.” Bud mostly agrees that he is all of these things, so the player responds that “any place where there’re other folks in need of the same things that [Bud is] is the right place to be.” Bud takes in the man’s words and looks around him and sees firsthand that economic turmoil can have the power to both displace and create bonds that go beyond age, shape, size, and of course color. He notices that the people of Hooverville enjoying dinner around the bonfire, for example, “were all colors you could think of, black, white and brown, [though] the fire made everyone look like they were different shades of orange.” Hooverville, on first glance, then becomes a sort of Utopia for the disadvantaged, the downtrodden, and the poor to commiserate and unite over their shared hardships while dismissing their differences. Though Bud is the town’s newest resident, it doesn’t take long until he internalizes the spirit and unity of Hooverville, so much that he is able to let his guard down, make a new friend, and share his first kiss with Deza Malone, a young girl he meets in Hooverville.

Consequently, Bud comes to realize that his experiences are to some degree shared by a community of people who are understanding of his plight and want to share what little they have with him. Thus, he survives navigating poverty, homelessness, and isolation through the help of the strangers, communities, and families he meets on his journey. Though his encounters with them are fleeting, they remind Bud that he is not alone for daring to survive in their uncertain times.