Economic crisis eventually plagues even the strongest of civilizations and this affects each social class within that society differently.  Depending on the severity of the crisis, the upper and middle classes can typically withstand the negative effects for a little while.  Unfortunately, the lower class is usually not as resilient.  Lower class populations are normally characterized by limited resources and lower paying jobs.  This makes members of this social class more susceptible to extreme economic conditions and as a result, they must put up with the hardest hits.  This exact situation currently exists in Venezuela as they experience one of the greatest economic downfalls in their history.  The effects of this crisis on the lower class population of Venezuela are perfectly captured by photographer, Abd Rodigo, as he depicts a lower class worker mending a sewage pipe in the busy streets of the country’s capital, Caracas.  As the worker attempts to fix the pipe, a law enforcement officer stuck in traffic observes him.  A number of features within the photograph contribute to the overall meaning of the image.  These few of these features include the angles and positions of the individuals pictured, the direction of the worker and the officer’s gazes, the actions of the two main characters, and the conditions of the surrounding city.  These features only further demonstrate how rough the current economic status really is on the impoverished people of Venezuela as they attempt to make it through this critical state. 

Before diving into the examples of the overall meaning of the image, some background information about the government and economy of Venezuela is needed in order to fully grasp the impact it has on the lower class.  Venezuela is known as one of the top oil-producing countries in the world and because of this, they built their economy almost entirely on their exports of oil.  Recently, a new United Socialist member has come to power and is responsible for the downfall of the Venezuelan economy.  Through corrupt judgements and decisions, money has quickly become an issue and in an attempt to fix this, the government resulted to printing money which only led to further inflation and even worse economic conditions.  As a consequence of the inflation, the lower class has been unable to pay for even the most basic necessities and has had to deal with waiting in long lines just to receive their daily rations of food (Borger).  There has been a growing restlessness among the lower class population in Venezuela resulting from the corrupt rulers and this tone is perfectly captured within the photograph.  

One of the most obvious observations of this photograph include the positions and angles of the blue-collar worker and the law enforcement officer.  Because the repairman is attempting to fix a broken pipe, he is significantly lower than the those walking on the street and the law enforcement officer on top of the motorcycle.  Vice versa, the officer is obviously positioned much higher than the working man.  This represents the current status that the lower class population deals with as the government is mostly concerned with themselves than with the impoverished members of their society.  The repairman is symbolic of the lower class as they most likely work harder than most just to scrounge up some money to support themselves.  This struggle is not greatly rewarded because of the poor choices made by the government which includes the printing of more currency.  The government of Venezuela acts in this way because they think they are doing what is best for themselves, but they do not concern themselves with the effects that the escalating inflation rates has on the lower class.  This is represented by the higher position of the law enforcement officer.  If the officer had been closer to the level of the repairman, this distinction between federal interests and community concerns would not have been as clearly presented.  Because the worker is not only beneath the ground level, but also almost entirely submerged in water as he attempts to complete his job, it is easy to see how symbolic this image is.  These positions only further reinforce the idea that the government is riding their current high and maybe do not see or just simply do not care about the negative impact of their poor decisions on the lower class population as they drown in their labor, in this case, quite literally.  

As the repairman directs his gaze to the law enforcement officer, it is easily arguable that there is a sense of worry or fear exhibited by the look in the repairman’s eyes.  The repairman is clearly taking the time apart from his work to stare at the policeman even though his job consists of him mending a pipe that he cannot see due to the fact that it is underwater.  Also, the policeman, most likely on one of his regular daily tasks, just seems to be observing the worker without any concern or interest as to what he is doing.  Coming more from the look of panic expressed by the worker, this particular feature, consisting of the individual’s gazes, represents the overall worrisome tone felt by nearly the entire lower class population of Venezuela.  As the country experiences a decline in oil exports, a severely lackluster governing body, and an increasing rate of inflation, members of the lower class search for any source of guidance they can find in order to navigate their way through the entangled mess that is their economy.  They look towards their country’s government leaders, represented by the law enforcement officer, since they are the only ones who can offer any sort of solution to the problem.  The fearsome glance stands for the panic felt by the impoverished as they wait in long lines for their daily rations wondering if they will earn enough money for their family and themselves so they can make it through the week.  

After analyzing the meaning behind the glances exchanged between the two individuals, viewers may also notice that this is really as far as their interactions go.  They do not seem to be conversing or communicating in any way.  They only share a couple of seconds in which they are focused on each other and then most likely after this photograph was captured, they went back to whatever they were doing.   Building off of the meaning behind the glances, the interactions between the repairman and the law enforcement officer, or lack thereof, almost directly correlate to the interactions between the government and the lower classes of Venezuela.  Those in desperate need of financial assistance look towards their government for guidance or at least for some glimmer of hope that might hint at progress in the future, but all the actions carried out by their government have been done for their leaders’ personal gain.  The government’s lack of dedication to their obligations to the citizens of Venezuela are perfectly depicted within the image.  The law enforcement officer’s resistance to assist the repairman, or simply their lack of communication, reinforces the theme of Venezuela’s unresponsive government and their lack of involvement regarding the severe economic problems currently plaguing their society.  Additionally, the repairman is also responsible for the lack of communication between the two, but for different reasons.  He is clearly very preoccupied with his task at hand while half his face is underwater so he is unable to reach out to the officer.  Similarly, with the lower class population, in order for them to keep their lives from falling apart, they must continue to work diligently.  This takes up most of their time and they are unable to express their concerns to the government.  This double-sided issue only further worsens the effects of the economic crisis.

One final feature that represents the current state of Venezuela’s lower class includes the conditions of the city surrounding the repairman and the law enforcement officer.  The repairman sits in a massive hole eye level deep in filthy water while also being surrounded by piles of dirt and debris in the crowded street of their nation’s capital, Caracas.  Less obvious examples of the city’s poor condition include the graffiti covered walls behind the repairman and the stained apartment buildings in the background.  These features add to the overall unfortunate tone of the photograph and the meaning behind it by further emphasizing that the lower class population is at a drastic disadvantage due to the economic crisis.  These conditions add a dose of reality and a glimpse into the living conditions of the poverty-stricken citizens versus a hidden meaning like the other examples previously discussed.   

At the first glance of this photograph, it might be difficult to identify its purpose, but once all the features are broken down and analyzed, the meaning can be easily found.  Some of the features analyzed include the positions and angles of the two individuals, the direction of their gazes, their actions, and the conditions of the setting around them.  Each feature defines all aspects of the meaning behind the photograph which serves to express the struggles faced by Venezuela’s lower class as they experience one of the worst economic crises in their history. 
