|
Background for the novel "Of Mice and Men":
The Great Depression in the 1930s The backdrop for John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, is the depression in the United States in the 1930's, called the Great Depression. It started with the stock market crash on Wall Street on 24 October 1929. After that, the whole economy slowed down. People stopped investing, most banks had to close down, and people lost their jobs and homes. By 1932, 13-15 million Americans were unemployed. There was no social security, and many starved. In addition to this, farmers already struggeled in many parts of the western USA because of a phenomenon called the Dust Bowl. The land had been too exploited during many decades. This lead to erosion and then to draught. Nothing could be harvested because the land was hard and dry, and the air was full of sand and dust. Many people looked upon California as the Promised Land, because it was not affected by the Dust Bowl. Many migrant workers went to California in the 1930s in search for work and a better life. |
|