1930's Essay

Griffin Peek

4-22-14

Mrs. Lawson

Depression Essay

                                                

                During the 1930’s the American people faced a tragic disruption in the economy – “The Great Depression” - putting many people on the streets with no jobs or means to earn a living. The movie “Cinderella Man” depicts the struggles of people living in the Depression though the life of a boxer named Jim Braddock. While he was earning a living boxing he lost his license at Madison Square Garden because of a broken hand. All of the hard times that Jim faces are very accurate to the things that people had to go through during the Depression.

When Jim lost his job as a boxer he already was struggling to support his family. He had sold most of the possessions in his house and moved into a small apartment. Just like many Americans, this was the beginning of people selling things so they could get by. Soon after Braddock moves, he loses his job due to his inability not to work because of his broken hand. Many people during the Depression were desperate - living on the street, in boxes and going from dock to dock or warehouse to warehouse to see if they can find any type of work. Jim moves forward even with his broken hand so that he can feed his kids and not send them away. This was a traumatic choice for people living in large towns – one that the Braddocks had to choose. If they could send the kids away then they could work, earn a small living and try to start over again.

When Jim goes to the government aid office to help get financial assistance it was very shameful for him. Like most able bodied men he didn't want to ask the government for help but he needed it and could not afford to let his family suffer. Americans were very prideful and it was hard for people to ask for money. We get a short glance, at the suffrage of our country when we experience the story about the man whose wife’s teeth are falling out and he needs money to take care of her and he can’t find a job. This was a realization for people as they were literally on the streets starving. Aide stations were all around and when Jim finally asks for help he is able to turn his power back on and bring his kids home.

Life during the Depression was very hard on people. When Jim gets the chance to fight the world champion everyone believes that he is fighting for them because he too is “down in the dumps” and is their symbol of hope – their Cinderella story. The Depression was harsh on Americans and people had to do things they never thought they would face in order to eat, live and protect their children even risk their life like Jim did in the fight of his life. This movie represents a man that kept on fighting in and around the ring just like he was fighting in and around life to survive. Jim Braddock did not give up just like many Americans did not give up during the Depression but fought for a stable economy and a better life.