Books+in+the+1930's

Books are one of the most common forms of literature. ** is an excellent example of escapism. The children in the book have multiple adventures in a kind of fantasy world. ** ** They are able to leave the dismal reality of their lives as Mary Poppins teaches them how to have fun. ** ** This says a lot about the human condition in the 30's. This was right during the great depression where everyone's lives were not so sunny. ** ** People needed to hear things like "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" as a reminder that there could still be good in their lives. ** **The characters in Mary Poppins drive home the theme of escapism and the human condition in the 1930's.** **Mary Poppins herself represents perfection. She is hope. She is a dream come true. She is what everyone aspires to be.** **However, just like the intangible dream of perfection, she comes and goes all too soon. In the 1930's everyone was struggling.** **The financial situation of the entire country was so bad, it literally sucked the happiness right out of people, hence the name of "The Great Depression".** **Marry Poppins brought happiness into a home where there previously was none. She taught the kids that anything was possible and dreams can come true with some imagination.** **Most importantly, she taught them the importance of doing their work, but that it can be enjoyable with the right perspective.** **Even though the book offered escapism, it still contains themes that are very applicable to people's lives. With all the joy she brings, she still has to leave when they no longer need her.** **Even though the family is sad to see Mary Poppins go, this too was a symbol of hope for people in the 1930's.** **Mary only left once the family no longer needed her. This is symbolic of the people no longer needing escapism,** **because their reality will finally be what they have envisioned and hoped for. This says a lot about the human condition of the time.** **The people were really struggling, but they also had a great hope. They could imagine the day they were financially stable and had the life they had dreamed of.** **Mr. Banks is also quite symbolic. It is no coincidence that all of his problem stem from his obsession with money.** **During the great depression money was a huge issue and did destroy families, whether from the lack of, or the mismanagement, or even greediness.** **Mr. Banks has to learn to enjoy what he does have and stop worrying about money and the banks all the time. This was very applicable to the human condition in the 1930's.** **(Madisyn)**

**The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a perfect example of realism. It starts with a character named Tom Joad** **who is released from prison and when he gets back to his farm in Oklahoma, his entire family had left to California to find jobs.** **This related so much to the people in the 30's because it was so hard to find a job where they lived and it was hard to** **make money and provide for your family. In this time period in America, families didn't have much. They had very few possessions and not a lot of money,** **and moving was very common. People could relate to this because the lives of the characters in the book was so much like their own.**

**More of the characters in The Grapes of Wrath tell the stories and lives of people during the Great Depression.** **Grandpa Joad is stubborn and doesn't want to leave any of his belongings. He has what he wants and doesn't want to give it up.** **Pa Joad encourages his family to go to California and ends up looking for his wife for leadership and strength.** **Toms father finds himself ashamed of his weaker position in society, much like people in the 1930's were ashamed of not having any money.** **Rose of Sharon has one of the most difficult journeys in the family. She is abandoned by her husband and her child is born dead.** **Many people had very hard trials in this time of their life. The youngest daughter, Ruthie, brags about her brother killing a man.** **Children didn't want to be sad in this time, they tried to be happy and telling others about exciting things in their life.**

**One migrant tells Pa that 20,000 people show up for every 800 jobs. This related so much to people during this time because it was so** **hard to find a job and everybody had to look at every type of job there was to provide for their family. Money and jobs was such a hard thing** **during this and not everybody could find it so it was very easy to relate to The Grapes of Wrath. Coming up with a story that was so** **real for some people was such a good thing because people wanted to relate and not be the only one going through such a hard time.** **(Nils)** Movies in the 1930's