From the late 1920s to the late 1930s, one of the worst economic disasters struck, the Great Depression. The stock market plunged, economies broke, and everyone, rich and poor alike, was put into poverty. As the poor got poorer, even the rich became poorer, which inspired the creation of three novels depicting these hardships. John Steinback wrote “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “Of Mice and Men,” while Maya Angelou authored “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” All three of these novels feature the Great Depression in their setting, but also delve into ideas surrounding the American Dream, and what it was like to be unwelcome, and poor. In the novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” the Joad family immigrates to California to escape the Dust Bowl, finding countless other people in similar situations. “Of Mice and Men” shows the journey of two men who are on an endless journey, pursuing their dreams. And Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” is a semi-autobiography describing the life of a black girl who undergoes an immense change in American society. All three of these novels not only have Great Depression themes in them but also explore other flaws of society.
All three of the novels are largely referred from the author’s own experiences. In John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men,” he had taken inspiration from his experiences as a farmhand, in migrant laborer camps. John had dropped out of Stanford in the early 1900s in order to be a laborer. Furthermore, the characters in his novels were all created by his opinions on others. Taking his own perspective on issues such as the Dust Bowl, John created a setting, and by observing the people around him, he formed the characters. In his second book, “The Grapes of Wrath,” the main issue was the problem of migrant farmworkers. Steinbeck realized how grueling the experience was. Having to fight to have even the opportunity to move elsewhere to a better opportunity, just to find out it wasn’t existent. Finally, in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya writes her whole life experiences. The whole novel is an autobiography recounting her years from age three to sixteen, including traumatic events that she had experienced. The book focuses on her identity being a young black girl, literature, and racism. However, the most prominent backdrop to all three of these stories is the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In the 1930s, a great drought had picked up, causing the lands to be un-farmable, and the people in the lower Southeast side of America had to migrate. This caused many, oftentimes unwanted, migrations to the North and Western sides of the US, but those areas were affected as well, by the Great Depression. This meant that all over the United States, people were suffering economic hardships, and poverty was a prevalent theme.
One key note about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression is that they were human-caused disasters. Although drought may have been the starting spark for the whole ordeal, it cannot be neglected that human callousness was also a huge contributing factor. Starting in the 1930s and ending around 1936, the disaster struck the area from Kansas to Texas but came to symbolize hardships for the entire nation. It was the result of the negligence of many farmers, many of whom had over-tilled their soils. That was the main reason why the topsoil was so loose, allowing even the smallest gusts of winds to carry huge masses of dust across the vast plains. But this wasn’t the only human-made conflict, society had also pushed ideas of racism, casting discrimination on those who fit into marginalized categories. In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya shows us this conflict the best. At the beginning of the novel, she states, “Because I was really white and a cruel magician had turned me into a too-big Negro girl, with kinky black hair, broad feet, and a space between her teeth that would hold a pencil.”(Angelou 8) It’s clear that even at a young age, Maya understood the racism against the black, and wanted to be free from that burden. Additionally, many of the other characters in Steinbeck’s stories are involuntarily pushed into subcategories that limit their chances of success, these subcategories being what their own societies have pre-determined. Having other people tell you how much you’re worth is demeaning enough, but even worse is that everyone has already accepted this as a social norm.
However, all the characters throughout these stories had hope, because they wanted to achieve the American Dream. Even today, the American Dream is something highly sought after, to become successful in one’s own work, and be able to live a fulfilled life. This dream is thought to be accessible by everyone in America because of the bountiful opportunity, so this gives the characters hope. For example, the plan that George and Lennie had was to have their own ranch. For the time, this was bold. People were oftentimes paid minimally and worked to the bone. It was because of the friendship between George and Lennie that they were able to even dream of such success. “Ritie, don't worry 'cause you ain't pretty. Plenty pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.” Maya also shows the evolution of character in the story. While in the beginning the narrator feels ashamed of her looks and wishes to be pretty, we can see she evolved to leave such shallow thoughts behind and to truly explore her own identity, even encouraging others. But in the end, many of these ideas go in vain. It is because of each character’s shortcoming, being marginalized. “‘Look,’ said the man. ‘It don't make no sense. This fella wants eight hunderd men. So he prints up five thousand of them things an' maybe twenty thousan' people sees 'em. An' maybe two-three thousan' folks gets movin' account a this here han'bill…’” In the Grapes of Wrath, the idea that too many are chasing the American Dream is shown. So many people wanting to have this success, meaning that only little actually get it.
All three of these stories share many of the same overarching themes, discriminating the marginalized characters over factors that they themselves cannot control. Whether it was being black, crippled, or mentally ill, not many of the characters had the hope to push them through all the way to the end. One way or another, society had pushed against them hard enough to knock them down. Even so, millions of people preach the American Dream, that many pursue, but not many have the ability to fully realize. But there is also another message in each story, through their titles. “Of Mice and Men” explored the failure of plans, and the title relates to a poem, “Gang aft agley,” which means to often go wrong. “The Grapes of Wrath,” with “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,” from The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Grapes of wrath are metaphors for an unjust situation that leads to a collection/growing of vengeance. Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” is a reference to Dunbar’s final line in his poem “Sympathy.” “But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—I know why the caged bird sings!”
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