The Great Depression in American Literature

In 1939, two books were published that we read together in class. The Grapes of Wrath and The Day of The Locust. Both were set during The Great Depression. A time of uncertainty and unrest among American citizens, and it wasn’t much better in the rest of the world. The Grapes of Wrath and The Day of The Locust are not the only two books that I have read that take place during the depression. As a kid, I read books that took place during the depression, such as, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis and some of the American Girl Doll books about Kit.

I think I know the reason why so many of the books I have read take place during these chaotic years and those following. I think it is because everyone knows about this time period and the effects it had on American society today. It was the chain reaction that started the creation the modern America we know today. A time period where new problems faced America never seen before but we faced them head on.

There are points in The Grapes of Wrath and The Day of The Locust it is shown that “The American Dream” is not always possible, but there has to be a reason people come today for a better life. I think if there is one thing that The Great Depression showed people about America is that we are tough. We had a massive amount of our population jobless, homeless, and starving, and a few years later fighting a war and winning it.

These thoughts have led to a sudden revelation for me. Over the last semester I have been asking myself what defines a novel as “American”. I know what defines a good novel but what about the American part. I have come to the conclusion there is no one way that defines a novel as an “American” novel, but if there is one way, it should be about showing America for what it is. A young and flawed nation built on dreams and hopes that do not always come true. A nation that continues to thrive to this day.