Essay On The Great Depression Family

888 Words4 Pages
The Great Depression With the economical struggles that you deal with today, do you think that you could have lived through the Great Depression? The Great Depression had a negative affect the relationships of families because of the economical struggles that they had to deal with. The Great Depression affected many families’ marriages, farm life, and the next generation. During the Great Depression there were many difficult situations with food and farm life. One of the causes of the Great Depression was the crash of the stock market. After World War I, stock prices rose. Many people invested money in stocks hoping that they could make money, until everything came crashing down. People who had always had food on the table found themselves…show more content…
Considering that there was not enough money in the bank and trying hard to feed a family was very difficult. Traditional roles within the family changed during the 1930s. Men found themselves out of work. Now had to rely on their wives and children to help work and, make ends meet. Many stopped looking for work, paralyzed by their bleak chances. Some became so frustrated that they just walked out on their families completely. On the other hand, women found their status enhanced by their new roles. Left with little choice, they went against the historic opposition to married women working outside the home to help support their families. In the story “The Lamp at Noon,” Ross talks about the different hardships that Ellen and Paul go through with their relationship. Ross explains how sometimes Ellen and Paul feel hopelessness and emptiness surrounds the ill-fated couple. These are the feelings that surrounded many farm families in the depression, so it is quite believable that this farm couple would be going through this turmoil. Paul tries to convince his wife that there was still hope for him. Dustin S. Jussila explains in his article about the atmosphere in “The Lamp at Noon” that, “He wants to assure his wife, as well as convince himself. It is the feeling of desperation and bleakness that intermingles with the words to create an accurate picture of the pair’s lives.” What Jussila means there is that Paul says to his wife that desperation
Open Document