Galvanic Corrosion As An Analogy Of Bonnie And Clyde Problem

By Author: Anthony W Bills
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Bonnie and Clyde
Galvanic Corrosion a an Analogy of Bonnie and Clyde Problem

Bonnie and Clyde carried out their robberies largely because society provided the right conditions. The conditions that prevailed in America at the time and the public opinion, which were a direct result of the Great Depression acted as a motivation and furnished them with a false agenda to defy the law.
In the decade preceding the Second World War, America and the world as a whole went through a great economic recession in which most economies of the world declined terribly. In America, personal incomes declined and many people lost their jobs. This influenced public opinion and the people sided with anyone who rebelled against the authorities. An example is the Bonnie and Clyde case which I will analyze in this paper. This will be analyzed in analogy to galvanic corrosion in which a positive electrode (anode) metal corrodes and dissolves into the electrolyte when coupled with a cathode in the presence of a corrosive electrolyte. During the “Great Depression”, people felt that the establishment, especially the government ...
... and the financial institutions had let them down. This was because many people had lost their homes and property to the banks when they failed to repay their loans and mortgages. Others had lost their life savings when banks closed down. Anybody who rebelled against the authorities or robbed the banks was therefore considered a friend of the people and a hero. This is evident in the “Bonnie and Clyde” movies that were later acted. This is a clear case of moral decay in society which is analogous to galvanic corrosion.
In galvanic corrosion, different metals corrode in the presence of a corrosive electrolyte. The extent of the corrosion depends largely on the prevailing conditions, the corrosive potential of the metals and the type of the electrolyte. Likewise, for criminals to perpetrate their crimes, the community must provide the necessary conditions and motivations.
In this paper, the 1930’s Bonnie and Clyde episode in American history will be analyzed as an analogy of galvanic corrosion of metals. The necessary conditions which were provided by society in order to support the criminal activities of Bonnie and Clyde will be examined in relation with the conditions which are necessary for galvanic corrosion to take place in metals.
Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different metals are electrically connected through a corrosive electrolyte. An electrolyte is a solution containing both positive and negative ions. When a pair of metals is coupled through an electrolyte, one of the metals becomes the anode (positive electrolyte) and the other becomes the cathode (negative electrode). The anode dissolves faster into the electrolyte while the cathode dissolves slower. This is because different metals have different potentials. When a pair of metals is coupled through an electrolyte, an electrical potential is set up across the electrolyte. Positive ions in the electrolyte move towards the negative electrode (cathode) while the negative ions move towards the positive electrode (anode). Though galvanic corrosion is mostly seen as a disadvantageous occurrence, it is the principle that is used in construction of primary cells to generate voltage to drive electric current through circuits. Examples of these cells are zinc-carbon cells where zinc and carbon electrodes are immersed in an acid electrolyte and zinc corrodes to produce and electric current, the lemon battery and many others. For galvanic corrosion to occur, three conditions must be fulfilled, i.e.
• There must be two different metals (called electrodes) with different electrode potentials
• The two electrodes must be in electrical contact with each other
• The electrodes must be connected through an electrolyte containing both positive and negative ions
An everyday example of galvanic corrosion is the corrosion of steel and other metals when exposed to sea water. In design, whenever two metals are to be in contact, their galvanic corrosion is put in consideration. Apart from the corrosive potential of the pair of metals, the conditions under which the metals will be exposed to also count. Harsh conditions such as outdoor or exposure to salty conditions require that the corrosive potential of the couple be as low as possible, in the range of 0.154V. Under normal conditions such warehouse and other natural conditions, a corrosive potential of up to 0.25V is acceptable while in controlled environment where temperature and humidity are controlled, a potential of up to 0.5V can be allowed. Different metals have been assigned different indices depending on their corrosive activity when they act as anodes. Among the metals with the lowest indices is gold. This means that gold corrodes least and this is the most important aspect that makes gold precious. The luster of gold does not fade and remains the same for a long time. Other metals with a low anodic index include silver, nickel, bronze and platinum. It is evident that the less corrosive a metal is, the more precious it is (Ghali, E. and Revie, R.W., 2000).
During the great depression of the 1930’s, most personal income declined, many people lost their jobs, farm produce lost value and most people couldn’t pay their bank loans and mortgages. Many banks closed and many people lost their life savings and property. These devastating effects led people to feel let down by the government and the financial institutions especially banks because of taking their property through foreclosure. Incomes had declined so much that many people could not repay their loans and mortgages. The banks consequently repossessed their houses. Many banking institutions also closed and many people lost their savings (Cawelti, J. G., 1993).
It was during the time of the “Great Depression” that a young woman called Bonnie Parker met an ex-convict called Clyde Barrow, and they both formed an indomitable couple. The couple had met through a friend and immediately fell in love. Afterwards they traveled everywhere together. Clyde had been a robber and had just come out of prison. Bonnie herself was married and the couple could not therefore lead a normal new lovers’ life. During one of the robberies, a person was killed and Clyde had to flee. He took Bonnie with him as he fled. Bonnie inevitably became a member of Clyde’s gang. They carried out many bank robberies during which several people were killed and scores injured. Clyde never killed anybody unless he had to. He only shot at somebody when cornered and in danger. Bonnie herself never killed anyone. A fellow gang member claimed that he had never seen Bonnie fire her gun at anyone.
Bonnie first noticed Clyde’s criminal activities a few weeks after their first meeting. The police were looking for him all over town. She was however too much in love with him to leave him even after discovering his underworld dealings. Clyde was arrested and served two years in prison. In prison, Bonnie visited him everyday. She managed to sneak a pistol to Clyde in prison which he used to escape in the same night. He was however rearrested later and sentenced to fourteen years in prison. His mother however intervened and he was paroled and released. He took a job in a factory but after two weeks, he managed to contact Bonnie and they stole a car and moved on. They were again apprehended and Bonnie was arrested while Clyde managed to escape. Bonnie served a few months on the prison. After her release, she was once more on his lover’s side. They continued to raid banks, gas stations and shops. During one raid, a shop owner and two policemen were killed and the gang had to keep on the run. At this time, the gang had stopped looking like the protectors of the people against the system but like cold blooded killers. Their accomplice was arrested and sentenced to more than two hundred years in prison.
During their operations, the Barrow gang never robbed individuals and didn’t kill. They only robbed banks. Considering the fact that these were the same banks that had repossessed their houses and gone down with their savings, Bonnie and Clyde emerged as the people’s avengers and therefore heroes. The Barrow’s gang only robbed banks and sometimes gas stations. Their enemy was the government. Their motive was clear; they hated the law. Bonnie and Clyde were in love. Their love was the fuel that kept them moving. The public viewed their alliance as the case of Romeo and Juliet. They were highly idolized because even in the adversity of the government forces, they ensured that their love survived. The courage that Bonnie exhibited when she smuggled a pistol to Clyde in prison so that he could escape was admirable. In many of their heists, Clyde ensured Bennie’s safety and never left her behind.
Looking at the analogy of galvanic corrosion, the right conditions have to be present in order for the corrosion to occur. One of these conditions is the presence of an electrolyte. In the case of Barrow and Clyde, the electrolyte is the society. The people among which Bonnie and Clyde were living with provided the electrolyte. It is obvious that no robber can carry out robberies in isolation. The only way for the robber to disguise himself/herself is to live among ordinary people. This is exactly what the Barrow gang did and managed to survive for the period of time that it survived. As earlier mentioned, an electrolyte comprises of negative and positive ions. The positive ions are attracted towards the cathode while the negative ions move towards the anode. This is made possible due to the existence of an electric potential across the electrolyte. In analogy, positive ions are the law abiding citizens. They always cooperate with the authorities and will report any suspicious incident to the police. One example in the Bonnie and Clyde case is the doctor who notified the Sheriff when Bonnie sought treatment when she sustained third degree burns in her leg when they drove over a bridge under construction. Another illustration is the gang member who defected from the gang and started cooperating with the police after realizing that the gang’s death was inevitable (Cawelti, J. G., 1973).
The “electric potential” in the society in the American history that encouraged the Bonnie and Clyde criminal activities was the corruption in the society that led to the economic depression. One of the effects of the Great Depression was unemployment. Since many people had lost jobs and therefore had no income, any activity, lawful or otherwise that could put bread on the table was welcome. Society therefore didn’t consider robbing a bank immoral and evil. Another result of the Great Depression was massive poverty and homelessness. After people lost their jobs, they could no longer afford most basic commodities. Many people lost their homes when they failed to pay their mortgages and the banks repossessed them. Poverty became widespread. When people are homeless and live in poverty and cannot afford basic needs, they tend to rebel against the authorities and consequently support unlawful activities.
The galvanizing metals in this analogy, i.e. the electrodes are the criminals on one side and the authorities on the other. The authorities can be taken to be the positive electrode (anode) which will attract negative ions. The negative ions in the analogy are the criminal elements in society who ended up in the prisons and penitentiaries. Good people do not go to prison. Their only likelihood is to join criminal gangs which corrode the community. The rate at which crime is committed and the number of criminals who are apprehended and go to prison give an indication of the effect that the government policies are having on the community.
In American history, many occurrences have made people to behave in different ways at different times. Greed has been the greatest driving factor and was clearly the cause of the Great Depression. The effects of the depression were devastating and led people to unconsciously rebel against the government. For this reason, they morally supported criminals who broke the law and robbed banks. The hatred for banks arose from the fact that the banks were responsible for most home foreclosures and loss of savings. Bonnie and Clyde idols as evidenced in films based on their story which followed.
Works Cited
Cawelti, J. G. Focus on Bonnie and Clyde. Englewild Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. 1973.
Clausen, J. American Lives: Looking Back at the Children of the Great Depression. New York: Maxwell Macmillan International.1993.
Ghali, E. and Revie, R.W. Corrosion and Its Control of Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Understanding, Engineering, and Performance. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2000.

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