The Worst Hard Time

The Worst Hard Time

by

Timothy Egan

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Worst Hard Time makes teaching easy.

“Big Will” Crawford Character Analysis

A bachelor who lived alone in a dugout outside of Boise City, Oklahoma. He had moved there from Missouri and was known for supposedly being the fattest man in three states. He would say that he weighed somewhere between 300 and 700 pounds. Will worked as a farmhand. He later married Sadie White in Wichita, Kansas. Crawford’s closest neighbors were the Folkers family.
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“Big Will” Crawford Character Timeline in The Worst Hard Time

The timeline below shows where the character “Big Will” Crawford appears in The Worst Hard Time. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: No Man's Land
Westward Expansion and the Settlement of the Southern Plains Theme Icon
...Lucas was one of few women in No Man’s Land. Women were rather scarce, and Will Crawford was one of the territory’s many bachelors. He was originally from Missouri, and had arrived... (full context)
Westward Expansion and the Settlement of the Southern Plains Theme Icon
Anglo Culture and Racism Theme Icon
The Folkers family were Will Crawford ’s closest neighbors. They also arrived by a free train with very little money. Katherine... (full context)
Chapter 7: A Darkening
Economic Hardship and Lessons of the Great Depression Theme Icon
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
The Folkers’ neighbor, Will Crawford , met his wife, Sadie, after finding her note in the front pocket of his... (full context)