Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the 1930’s our nation’s widest economic crisis hit, the Great Depression. With the deepest and longest depression in our history. With crisis came major problems within the American people. These problems forced Americans and the government to find a way to deal with these hard times.

At the beginning of the 1930s the era known as the “Roaring Twenties” died and from it emerged one of the hardest times known to Americans. The 1930s were centered on the Great Depression and how to alleviate the millions of Americans who were affected by it. During this era the American government, lead by FDR, attempted to reform the American economy and the lives of American people. Contrary to Hoover’s “laissez faire” economics, FDR and his administration created the New Deal to aid the US economy by government intervention. Although FDR’s New Deal did not end the Great Depression, it eased the people's suffering and reformed many issues that contributed to the depression by providing relief and reform, while changing the role of the federal government by creating lasting programs, such as social security, satisfying the needs of many citizens and increasing the

The events of the 1930’s, or the Great Depression, did the most to influence contemporary America. During the twenties, America was at its most prosperous economic times until the stock market crashed in 1929. The stock market crash led to a dramatic decline of the U.S. economy. The decline in the economy changed Americans everyday lives. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and he created the New Deal to provide relief, recovery and reform. The Depression impacted America in the 1930’s in every aspect of life and still impacts America today. Although contemporary America was shaped by many events that occurred in the 20th century, America was most influenced by the 1930’s because of legislation that improved daily life

The 1920’s and 1930’s represented a time of change for our country. Just as times began to pick up after the Great War, through technological advances, the nation collapsed. People began spending out of control, investing in stocks, and moving to the city. The stock market crashed in 1929, the effect was that many people lost their savings, businesses closed, and jobs were lost. This horrendous period is known as the Great Depression. Once again things began to look up as Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for president and created the New Deal. This era reflects how human nature reacts to such change.

"Of Mice and Men" is a book about two men and their struggle to achieve their dream of owning a small ranch through their companionship. The two men are completely different, one being a retarded fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with.

In the 1920s, Americans were trying to figure out what was everyone’s role in society. During this time women started to take on bigger jobs then housekeeping and African Americans are finally standing up for their race. Once 1929 hit, Herbert Hoover, America’s newest president, was viewed as an ‘American Superhero’ at that time because of everything he promised society; however, America gets hit by the Great Depression leaving society in a hole. While banking systems were unstable and overproduction were leaving people bankrupt, Herbert Hoover was blaming Europe and was failing to keep society financially stable. As his presidency went on, filmmakers made film cycles and gangster pictures like Little Caesar that portrayed America’s corrupt society during the Great Depression. By the end of his campaign, Hoover was known as the worst American ever which led to the rising of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt saw the struggling society as an opportunity to help his campaign in which he created the New Deal. America was given an opportunity that allowed them to look forward to the future. During Herbert Hoover’s presidency, America did not support the federal government, but after Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president and promised a New Deal, they began to look more favorably on the government.

The Depression was the biggest economic crash America had ever experienced previously. Thousands of people lost their jobs, hundreds of businesses went bankrupt, and even some banks had to close their doors. It was a disaster. People lost everything, their savings were gone and their homes were foreclosed. Life for Americans was drastically changed. As if the Depression wasn’t bad enough, then the Dust Bowl happened. The Dust Bowl was the result of drought and erosion of the top soil of the land. Huge dust clouds swept through the Great Plains, suffocating its inhabitants (History.com). There were political efforts to better those two events, most of those efforts were enacted by the New Deal policies. FDR was the president at the time, and he created and pushed for the use of the New Deal policies. The New Deal encompassed the programs enacted to save homes from foreclosure, create jobs and many other helpful programs. All in all, the 30’s was an era of economic insecurity and general upheaval. By the late 30’s people were looking to the government to get the nation out of these national

The 1930’s was an era of harsh times for the American until they entered World War II. The stock market crash and dustbowl contributed to the start of the downfall of America for a period of time. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover both

The 1920s and 1930s were interesting years for education. The 1920s sparked a new time in the United States history. World War I had just ended and prohibition had begun. In addition, there were social changes coming about, such as the roaring twenties. It is interesting that the roaring twenties took place because at the same time, the 18th amendment had been passed, officially outlawing the sale, transport, and consumption of alcohol. Women also gained the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment. When the 1930s hit, the great depression impacted millions of Americans. Up until the beginning of WWII, unemployment rates were high in the country, and there were not relief programs until FDR took office.

John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men is an extraordinary novel with unique characteristics. The novel is about an uncommon friendship between two extremely different individuals who are living and working together. This story belong to the genres tragic realistic fiction, historical fiction and drama. The linking between the novel and The Great Depression emphasizes throughout the story, which makes the novel very realistic and down to earth. The author touches on several themes such as: the unreachable American dream, the economic injustices, loneliness, friendship and people’s propensity for cruelty. In this book review, we will get into a deeper understanding of what the actual story means.

Of Mice and Men, a novel set in the 1930s Depression by John Steinback is known even to this day for being a gripping tale of true friendship. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California to which became the setting for his fiction, including Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck’s best-known books spiral around deprived California wanderers. In spite of their conditions and circumstances they hold onto hope of the American Dream. In Of Mice and Men there’s one character that is true to himself throughout the novel. John Steinback develops the character of Slim, the prince through description of him, his lines of dialogue, and by his actions.

‘Of mice and men’ is a tale of loneliness and hardship felt by the people living in America during the 1930 's. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937, it tells the heartbreaking story of two ranch workers during the depression; George Milton and Lennie Small. At the time America was very poor, with a shortage of jobs so people had to travel in search of new jobs. As many people were constantly moving, lasting friendships or relationships were hard to come across. People became scared to have friendships, scared of each other making them lonely and isolated. Most of the characters lived by ‘every man for himself’; only having to care for themselves, not having to worry about others and therefore

In 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature for his "realistic and imaginative writing, combining as it does sympathetic humor and keen social perception." The selection was heavily criticized for Steinbeck’s political stance with some even calling it a win by default. At the end of his career, the famed author returned to New York and died of heart disease in 1968. His work, however, lives on and even his memory in the California hall of fame.

The America in the 1930s was drastically different from the luxurious 1920s. The stock market had crashed to an all time low, unemployment was the highest the country had ever seen, and all American citizens were affected by it in some way or another. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal was effective in addressing the issues of The Great Depression in the sense that it provided immediate relief to US citizens by lowering unemployment, increasing trust in the banks, getting Americans out of debt, and preventing future economic crisis from taking place through reform. Despite these efforts The New Deal failed to end the depression. In order for America to get out of this economic

John Steinbeck was born on February 27th, 1902, in Salinas, California. His parents worked as store managers and schoolhouse teachers. At the age of fourteen, Steinbeck had already developed a love for writing. He would often isolate himself in his room and create poems and stories. In 1919 John enrolled at Stanford University. Clearly college wasn’t meant for Steinbeck because he ended up dropping out in 1925. After college Steinbeck jumped from place to place attempting to find a job he could pursue. It wasn’t until he settled near Lake Tahoe that he wrote his first novel, Cup of Gold (1929). With support from his wife, Carol Henning, Steinbeck wrote twenty-seven books and won several awards for his spectacular novels. In 1962 Steinbeck was