53 pages • 1-hour read
Out of Darkness
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Background
Setting and Cultural Context: East Texas and the Oil Industry
Across East Texas, beginning in the late 19th century, deposits of crude oil and natural gas were found beneath the soil, resulting in profitable economic upturns for these areas. Elsewhere in the United States, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl (an enormous swathe of land including parts of Texas, so called because of the literal dust storms and inhospitable environment resulting from overfarming) had thrown the country into hardship. Workers flocked to East Texas in the hopes of job security. Largely in remote areas incapable of accommodating the influx of residents, these workers often caused conflict and disruption with the local community.
In addition to the fixation on racial differences in mid-20th century America, there was also a chasm between the locals of small towns like New London (the town featured in Out of Darkness) and newcomers following the oil industry. Many locals resented the oil field workers and their families. Most oil field workers resided in worker housing, a collective of buildings structured like a neighborhood, which included individual homes for their families. There was solidarity between these families, especially because of their collective awareness of the danger of the workers’ roles.
Many of these families, usually comprised of the workers’ wives and their children, grew to care for and rely on each other in ways that transcended racial boundaries. Protagonist Naomi and her friends Tommie and Muff share a bond in their roles as members of the same community, a bond which supersedes other differences. Similarly, the membership of their church comprises oil field workers and their families, many of whom do display a slight bias against Naomi, but not to the hostile degree she experiences from others in town—another consequence of solidarity.
Historical Context: The New London School Explosion of 1937
In 1932, New London built a new school for students from first grade to high school. At the beginning of 1937, in order to save money, the school decided to cancel its natural gas contract and tap into the additional run-off gas not being utilized by the Parade Gas Company, which they didn’t have to pay for.
The gas was unregulated and would prove dangerous and unstable, but it was regularly used by many local families without incident, so the school board was unconcerned and willing to take the risk. Several students had complained about headaches in the months leading up to the explosion, but these symptoms were not attributed to a potential gas leak. Natural gas creates no visible haze and had no discernable odor at the time, so school officials were not alerted to the impending disaster.
On the afternoon of March 18th, 1937, the impending explosion leveled the school building—killing more than 300 students and teachers and injuring 300 more. It is believed that the blast was caused by a teacher switching on an electric sander in his classroom. The explosion was heard and felt four miles away from the school; oil field workers, parents, and other concerned citizens immediately rushed to the school to begin rescue efforts. Many of the children’s bodies were not identifiable; other children survived the initial explosion, only to succumb to their injuries later. Hospitals, morgues, and funeral homes were overwhelmed by the number of deceased, and in the coming days, funerals were held at 15-minute intervals in order to accommodate all of the mourning families.
One student, Bill Thompson, had switched seats with a girl in his class so he could sit beside a girl he had a crush on. The girl sitting in his original seat died, while he was spared. This true account emerges in Out of Darkness when Beto switches seats with a classmate and experiences the same survivor’s guilt. Although Ashley Hope Pérez writes that it was Wash’s idea to switch the school over to natural gas, blame for the real explosion has never been assigned to any one person. As a result of the tragedy, only weeks later, the Texas State Legislature implemented a regulation requiring that thiol, a compound which emits a rotten egg smell, be added to natural gas so that its odor might alert people to its presence and indicate a hazard.
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