Of Money and Malice
Just like the recent recession of 2008, the Great Depression brought fear upon our country like no other force in our nation’s history. Throughout the Great Depression, racism was at an all time high and money was at an all time low. Prices skyrocketed as inflation took hold of the economy. But these occurrences were not left undocumented. Steinbeck accurately portrays historical and cultural elements of the 1930’s, such as poverty and racism throughout his novella, Of Mice and Men. During the 1930’s poverty was an overarching problem caused by the Great Depression. In the novella, many of the characters were deprived of basic necessities and lived off of a salary that we would now recognize as pocket change. Because of
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African-Americans from the south started to migrate north as the economic crisis worsened. Steinbeck's representation of racism in Of Mice and Men is readily available through language and the aspects of various characters. In the story, Steinbeck shows the discrimination imposed on individuals such as Crooks and how other characters speak and act towards him just because of his skin color. For example, “Crooks, the negro stable buck had his bunk in the harness room, a little white shed that leaned off the wall of the barn,” (Steinbeck 66). This quote shows the racism undertones that the setting imposes on Crooks. Diction is used to dehumanize him when they describe Crooks as a “negro” and classify him based on his skin color. On a similar note, the fact that Crooks lives in a small storage room separated from the other workers symbolizes the physical disconnect and harsh segregation that he faces each and everyday. Conditions of discrimination represented in the novella are very accurate from a historical standpoint. As shown in the story, African-Americans are migrating to places other than the south. For example, the story takes place in California, and in the past, the black population was only prevalent in southern societies. But as seen in the book and in American history, African-Americans are now seen all over the United States, …show more content…
Like the American population during Great Depression, the characters in the story faced many hardships they had to overcome, including but not limited to those mentioned previously. In brief, the Great Depression was a devastating event in the history of America’s economy and Capitalistic standpoint, that had the potential to abolish the United States’ world power status
The Great Depression was one of the worst economic recessions experienced in the industrialized Western world. On October of 1929, the stock market crashed, causing employment rates to reach all-time low and left millions of Americans in poverty. This tragic event demonstrates a poorly-run government and economy, which we attempt to avoid today. Yet, Richard Wormser’s book, Growing Up in the Great Depression, shows us the conditions that led to the Great Depression present in our society today.
The novel is written during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a financial crisis that happened worldwide around the united states. It was a huge unemployment and ended in mechanical preparations and constructions. It happened before the New Era, a period of low unemployment when there was a great difference of income with general prosperity. The Great Depression began in “Black Tuesday” in October 29, 1929. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell very nearly 23 percent and the market lost 8 billion dollars and 9 billion dollars in quality. By 1933, when the Great Depression came to its nadir, by most accounts 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and about a large portion of the nation's banks failed. Despite the fact that the alleviation and change measures set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped decrease the most extremely bad
The unemployment rate for African Americans during the Great Depression reached upward of 50 percent at its peak. The commonly seen statistic of a 25 percent unemployment rate is primarily only applicable to white males at the time. The Great Depression stressed many societal structures that oppressed peoples based on race, gender ability to work, and socioeconomic standing. Despite the fact that over three quarters of a century has passed since the end of the Great Depression, many of these inequalities still remain (although to a lesser extent). A large number of Discussion about the social problems in the 1930s may still be applicable to today 's society. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck outlines many corrupt societal structures intended to exploit and demean individuals based on their perceived value: the inherent exploitative nature of the American Dream, the hierarchy of power in America based on an individual 's ability to work, and the way in which oppressive systems are maintained through a mis-projection of anger of the oppressed.
In 1929, tears swept the nation and gloom bestowed itself upon a once happy place. The Great Depression had started. People lost everything ,so many became migrant workers. Of Mice and Men, a classic novel written by John Steinbeck, emphasizes many sad themes, but gives us a good insight on what life was like in the 1940’s for many people. Although there are other themes, rootlessness, loneliness, and poverty are extremely prominent throughout the novel in many characters.
The Great Depression was intertwined into every American’s life and this period as a whole includes a series of hardships and disruptions of the American dream and patriotism. The majority of the country being the working class struggled not only physically but also mentally. The country was plagued with mistrust and insecurity. In this story, the laborers in Salinas, California were living a paycheck to paycheck unsatisfying life. In chapter 4, in Of Mice and Men , Crooks lashes out on the other outcasts through his actions and dialogue, this is on account of the social alienation present during this era and in his case being isolated because of his race.
Crooks is the only black man on the ranch, and is often discriminated against by all the other workers at the ranch. He is usually excluded from many activities that all the other men participate in, and is ignored by most of the workers. “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house…cause I’m black…” This quote shows how the other men who work at the ranch reject and isolate Crooks, and how he is forced to have his own bunk house, since he isn’t allowed to reside in the same bunk house as the other workers. Crooks leads a harsh, lonely life, only because the
The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.
The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression come quickly to mind when reflecting on the 1930s, a well-remembered and hardship-filled decade in American history. The fictional novel Of Mice and Men provides a detailed flashback to what was happening in this era and exposes the many challenges and prejudices of the day. John Steinbeck uses stereotypes to illustrate how difficult life really was in the thirties for the discriminated: women seen as less than men, African-Americans still being discriminated against 60 years after the end of the civil war, people with mental disabilities thought to be inferior and easily manipulated, and the elderly perceived as useless and decrepit. The characters in Steinbeck’s novel can be viewed as individual characters,
The Great Depression broke down security and belief in American society during the early 20th century and brought out hidden prejudices. The once optimistic mood during the Roaring 20’s turned to pain. The dire economic situation caused Americans to return to past social stigmas where certain groups of people were seen as inferior; as a result, the American Dream, where everyone could seek their ideal of success, was reduced to merely a dream. John Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like in his later work, The Grapes of Wrath, he was inspired by his environment to expose the lives of people during the Great Depression using Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men through the characters that the American Dream was naturally discriminatory towards certain groups of people because of common perceptions held during that period.
Throughout Of Mice And Men, by John Stienbeck, the minor character Crook who try to live independently and have some security. He isolated from the others because of his race. Crooks has been lonely and friendless. Nobody except his boss ever came into his house before. Steinbeck’s use of diction conveys the struggle and discrimination of the African Americans in the early 19’s.
The novel Of Mice and Men was set during The Great Depression and after the 1929 Wall Street Crash in California. There was a great deal of financial instability in America during the time and this resulted in many individuals looking out solely for themselves. Some minority groups in society were pushed to the periphery as individuals continued their pursuits for the elusive American Dream. One such group in America who were marginalised were those with black skin. The character Crooks has been included in the novel to represent all black people at the time who were struggling in their fight for equality.
“No person can maximize the American Dream on the minimum wage”- Benjamin Todd Jealous. The American Dream often costs a lot of money to accomplish. When you’re on a minimum wage, it becomes almost impossible to accomplish The American Dream. The novel “Of Mice and Men” takes place in southern California during The Great Depression. There are 2 farmers that want to get their own ranch. They first need to get money so they get a job on another person’s ranch to get money in order to get money for their own ranch. The Great Depression is bad for farmers because it’s hard to trust anyone during the time period and it’s hard for outsiders to afford farm crops for food since The Great Depression had a huge impact on the economy. John Steinbeck captures the feeling of powerlessness that Americans felt during The Great Depression through his characters Lennie, Crooks, & Curley’s wife.
The world has depended on its resources for millions of years and John Steinbeck has put the resources to work in a dependent way through the labor of his writing. Steinbeck gives the reader something that everyone can relate to. He allows the public to connect to an emotional level by presenting the reader with a blend of social consciousness and sentimental value to bring out the true inner self. Work in literature can appear to be so simple, but yet have such a complex and deep meaning. Due to the stock market crash in October 1929, majority of the public was wiped off their feet and thrown face first in the dirt. This unparalleled time period was known as The Great Depression. The Depression changed many lives drastically in a melancholy way and brought out the real values in people that were never seen before. Nearly every family went from living a mediocre lifestyle to being struck in a disposition with poverty. Even those who have inherited abundant amounts of money were no longer able to flaunt all they had received. Steinbeck’s writing does not demonstrate the shallow outside picture; his writing gets into the deep gritty detail that brings out the real values of the desired time period. John Steinbeck contributed to the American voice by drawing the reader out of their own reality and into his own fantasy by giving the character’s relatable traits through their actions and not their words. With this in mind it is
From black people to white people, to the old and the young, almost every person was discriminated against in some way during the depression and even today. Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression, 1940s era and describes a very realistic situation about characters who are simply trying to get by and chasing the “American Dream” but struggles with conflict within themselves and the outside world. Discrimination was a common theme of Of Mice and Men and greatly affected the lives of the characters in the novella. Some characters include: Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy. The novella is a realistic representation of discrimination in society.
The stock market crash of 1929 sent the nation spiraling into a state of economic paralysis that became known as the Great Depression. As industries shrank and businesses collapsed or cut back, up to 25% of Americans were left unemployed. At the same time, the financial crisis destroyed the life savings of countless Americans (Modern American Poetry). Food, housing and other consumable goods were in short supply for most people (Zinn 282). This widespread state of poverty had serious social repercussions for the country.