 The photograph shot by Jeff Roberts, which captures both a sullen tone represented by dull shades of grey and brown and symbolic strength shown through raw emotion shared between a mother and son while being surrounded by severe damage, encompass the detrimental and heartbreaking aftermaths tornados have on communities, especially to Concord, Alabama following April 27, 2011. During the April of 2011, a total of 292 tornados hit the United States, 62 of which struck the state of Alabama (Israel, 2011). The residents of Alabama were left forlorn as a result of the record-breaking, widespread damage caused by the worst series of tornados to hit the state. Roberts’s sharp focus on the comforting embrace portrays the strength and helplessness the mother and son felt alongside the surrounding communities and residents of Alabama, which caused this photograph to become viral in April 2011. 

Jeff Roberts’s inclusion of the dismal shades of grey and brown, almost an absence of color, depicts a sullen and gloomy tone of the tornado aftermath in Concord, Alabama. The dull shades encompass the background of broken tree limbs, overturned cars, wrecked homes, and the unnavigable road to the mother and son’s nonexistent house. The colorless, destroyed background demonstrates the power this tornado had and the devastation it left on the residents of this neighborhood, leaving the whole community somber. Through the lack of bright colors and sunlight, the brown and green hues of the destroyed yards and debris contribute to the sullen tone. The eye-catching blue which Roberts intentionally centers on is on the son’s shirt, emphasizing the theme of hope in the midst of darkness, strength in heartbreak, and faith for the future. 

The morning after the tornado struck Concord, Jeff Roberts captured this photograph which cleverly showcased the road’s severe surrounding damage that lay around the mother and son’s embrace, displaying the impact tornados had on the homes and lives of residents in Alabama. The destruction in the photo revealed the loss of power from fallen electricity poles, broken tree limbs, inverted cars, and debris; these all acted as a sign of brokenness to the exterior of the neighborhood and the lives of those living in the homes. Including the depiction of the devastation that tornados had on this neighborhood, Roberts’s ultimate goal was to expose the damage and impact of tornados on communities across the nation (which are recorded in the United States an average of one thousand times per year (Israel, 2011)). 

Jeff Robert’s attempt to portray a sympathetic emotional response to the viewer was clearly captured through the hug shared between a mother and son, a symbol of strength and the focal point of the photograph. The angle of the photograph was cleverly chosen, with the lens appearing as eyes of a neighbor overlooking the demolished neighborhood once called home by its inhabitants. The two people are shown close enough to convey the devastation in the mom’s facial expression which accompanied the tight grip she had on her son. While the son was sobbing, revealing his weakness and brokenness to his mother, she held a tight grip on him offering reassurance that their lives would return back to normal, strength to get their family through the hard time, and love for her son. Looking closely, the mother’s eyes scream of sadness and brokenness with a gaze towards the destruction around her neighborhood. The expression on her face shows that she is contemplating how to start her life over and unite the shattered community. This expression shows her determination to do everything she can to stay resilient to the brokenness around her while keeping a good head on her shoulders. This photograph brings out emotion from the most broken parts of one’s heart, causing viewers to feel empathetic towards the mother and son.

Jeff Roberts’s photograph tells the story of tornados creating heartbreak to families, while also revealing strength and hope in the midst of destruction. This photograph accurately documents the brokenness and agony tornados have had on the lives of families. However, the photograph depicts the strength and hope needed to persevere through such tragedies. Jeff Roberts revealed the world to devastation, opening the eyes of the public to the tragedies caused by tornados, while showing faith in humanity to rebuild, recover, and outlast.
