Songs from the Gunpowder

In the first half of the twentieth century, hunting ducks and migratory birds was an important part of the growing economy of the Chesapeake Bay. A man could support his family by hunting birds and selling them to wholesalers in major cities. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Act put limits on hunting and forced these men to turn to poaching in order to make a living. Songs from the Gunpowder charts the life of the St. Pierre family as they try, and ultimately fail, to maintain a living hunting ducks on the Bay. As time passes, flocks dwindle and industrialization encroaches on the family. Man's inability to balance environmental concerns with our drive to become an increasingly mechanized society is a major theme of the novella. Secondarily, Songs from the Gunpowder is meant to evoke the romanticism of American folk songs. Much of the plot was inspired by these songs.