The American Hobo

A detailed Summary of The American Hobo

In America, money and financial gains are considered important yardsticks of success. Thus it comes as no surprise that people who do not share such ambitions are looked down upon by society. Such people, especially those without residence are called lazy and good for nothing, but perhaps worst of all, they are lumped together under the generic label "homeless." This is of the greatest insult of all, for many are merely homeless or street people, but in fact hoboes. From their work ethics, to their personalities, to their motivation for living the transient life the American hobo has always been a very different entity from the bum, tramp, or homeless.

To understand the hobo one must first understand the origin of the hobo and his history. The word "hobo" has many different possible sources, many of which are characteristic of the hobo, himself. Some think that the term hobo was coined after the American Civil War, when many former soldiers were looking for work. Many of them turned to migratory farming, and became "hoe boys." Others believe that it referred to their movement after the Civil War, when they were "HOmeward BOund." Still others believe that the term comes from the Latin, "Homo bonus" or "good man(Watman 8)." All a

The Depression marked a perilous time of hobo history during which many people became hoboes purely out of necessity. It is because of this, that the Depression is a time during which the life of a hobo became dangerous. These dangers coupled with the rail companies' advocating for a policy to take care of these masses of free-riding vagrants led to government intervention(Crouse 3). The product of this was the Federal Transient Program (FTP) which existed from 1933-1935. Before the creation of the FTP there was no federal policy dealing with the non-resident poor. Such policy was left to the state and local levels. Local and state governments competed with each other to provide the lowest level of benefits to transients in order not to attract large numbers of poor. They had established lengthy residency requirements in order to receive aid. The social work profession had pushed for the implementation of the FTP because of states' inability to address the needs of the non-resident poor(Crouse 3). While it was called the Federal Transient Program, the FTP's main focus was specifically on hoboes. It is because of this focus that the Federal Transient Program established work camps in rural areas central to a primarily hobo population. In these work camps a transient would receive room, board and a small stipend in exchange for a days work there. It also established camps at key railroad junctions with the goal of eliminating the jungles. These camps received some local opposition, but in many areas were gradually accepted and welcomed. At the end of 1935, the program was liquidated(Crouse 4).

The hobo does not rationally calculate the difference in value between labor expended and market reward. He is essentially working for himself and does not care what anybody else makes off his work so long as he is paid; he separates his ideology of work from an ideology of profits and greed(Anderson 32). The hobo can give to society more than he preempting the role of philanthropist(Anderson 33). Perhaps Nels Anderson presents the best analogy, "In terms of ethics, this is a Protestant work ethic which has separated itself from the spirit of capitalism and Calvinism and now justifies itself in terms of itself. One works in relation to oneself and lives by and off the strength of ones personal character."

By understanding the hobo's roots, one can see that the hobo has been a significant part of American history. But how is he different from the bum, the tramp, or the criminally minded yeag? This is the common perception, that anyone who leads a traveling life is a parasitic bum, and this could not be more untrue. The major differences subsist in the difference in work ethic, social behaviors, sense of dignity, and their ideology of society around them.

It may be useful in order to further clarify the special traits of the hobo to distinguish him from the tramp. While the hobo possesses a positive work ideology, the tramp in contrast is not identified with any work ideology, but neither is he, unlike the bum, thought be to hostile to work. In Nels Anderson's words, the tramp "dreams and wanders." His life of aimlessness and fantasy were well portrayed by Charles Chaplin who redeemed the tramp by endowing him with a capacity for kindness and sympathy. In this manner he is not so different from the hobo. receives and asks for nothing in return, except a means of survival on his own terms, thereby

They fight each other, with no scinty[regard]

Since the Great Depression, the number of true hoboes has steadily decreased. However after every major American war, including World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, there has always been a significant increase in the number of American hoboes. Today the National Hobo Association considers there to be less than 600 true rail-riding hoboes. However there are a number of people, most far from poor, who take sabbaticals from work or school to lead a hobo life. These "recreational ri

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Approximate Word count = 2890
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History