1. The myths & truths of Bonnie & Clyde
By: Kayla Ylagan

2. Bonnie Parker Clyde Barrow
Clyde Chestnut Barrow
March 24, > May 23, 1934
The 2 met on January 5, 1930 and “instantly fell in love”.
Bonnie waited for Clyde during his time in Eastham
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker
October 1, > May 23, 1934

3. The Barrow Gang
Bonnie Parker Clyde Barrow Buck Barrow Blanche Barrow

4. Timeline
March 1930: Clyde in Eastham prison; escapes after Bonnie smuggles in a gun
March 1932: Clyde’s brother and sister in law join the gang
1932: total of 4 murders attributed to the Gang
June 10, 1933: Bonnie severely burned in an automobile accident
July 23, 1933: the Gang is surrounded in an Iowa park, resulting in Blanche and Buck’s capture
January 16, 1934: the Gang frees inmates from Eastham
May 23, 1934: Clyde and Bonnie are ambushed and killed on a road in Louisiana

5. Bonnie and Clyde’s Death Car
After their death, thousands flocked to the site of the shooting
Some took parts of their bodies as loot
Hundreds of thousands of people visited their funerals

6. Myth VS. Reality Reality Myths
Bonnie was actually married already, and died with his ring.
Bonnie actually never smoked and barely ever shot her gun.
The gang barely got away with much money
Bonnie and Clyde were married
Bonnie was a glamorous “bad girl” of the 30’s
The Barrow Gang was rich from all their bank heists

7. Why were they popular?
Bonnie and Blanche’s membership: vigilant > violent
Crimes seen as righteous acts of rebellion against the public
So-called “Glamorous” life of robberies, getaways, and romance

8. Empowerment of Romance
Had an idolized romance
“rebellious” romantic figures
Lovers in life and death

9. The name “Bonnie & Clyde”
Symbolic
Hybristophilia
Modern-day cases coined as “Bonnie and Clyde”
Distortion of their history

10. History Distorted through Media
Newspapers described their heists as “heroic”
Portrayed their lifestyle as more glamorous and fancier
Bonnie’s representation

11. Modern-Day Distortion
Bonnie & Clyde Musical & Movie

12. Bonnie and Clyde Merchandise
How their story was romanticized into a glamorous symbol of rebellious love

13. Significance Only Depression-era gang with 2 women
Greatest “romance” appeal
Iconic shoot down

14. Contradictions They only acted Weren’t actually in love
Made for themselves a pitiful story
>> Blanche’s story

15. Conclusion
The Bonnie and Clyde story has many misinterpretations that cause its truth to be masked behind the glamour now associated with their criminal lifestyle

16. Works Cited Works Cited
Anderson, Brian. “Reality less romantic than outlaw legend.” The Dallas Morning News. Free Republic, 18 April Web. 16 March < news/896385/posts>
Bible, Michael. “Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome Is a Real Thing.” NERVE. This Life, 22 January Web. 16 March < syndrome-sex>
Caldwell-Barrow, Blanche. “My Life with Bonnie and Clyde.” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly (2006): E-library. Web. 3 March 2015.
Casebier, Allan. “VIOLENCE IN MASS MEDIA DRAMA: Assessment in Terms of Context” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 38.8 (1981): E-library. Web. 2 March 2015.
Duncan, Martha G. and Grace. Romantic Outlaws, Beloved Prisons: The Unconscious Meanings of Crime and Punishment. New York and London Print.
“Famous Cases & Criminals: Bonnie and Clyde.” The FBI. U.S. Department of Justice. N.d. Web. 16 March < and-clyde
Leibowitz, Barry. “Book’Em: Go Down Together…The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde.” Crimesider. CBS, 17 July Web. < go-down-together-the-true-untold-story-of-bonnie-and-clyde/>
McPhee, Rod. “Real Bonnie & Clyde: Has history been too harsh on her role in the infamous killer couple?” Mirror. Mirror, 31 August Web. 16 March <
Milner, E.R. “The Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde.” Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 45.3 (2004): E-library. Web. 3 March 2015.
OSI. “The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde.” Officer Survival Initiative. The Officer Survival Initiative, 10 December. Web. 16 March <
Pramaggiore, Maria and Wallis, Tom. Film: A Critical Introduction. London Print.
“Shoot-out with Bonnie and Clyde, 1933.” EyeWitness to History. Ibis Communications, Web. 16 March <