I chose these particular pieces because I wanted to choose pieces that accurately showed what life was like during the Great Depression. In my opinion, the Great Depression affect working class Americans the hardest and they were the ones who had the most taken away from the, The pieces I chose majorly reflect working class americans and the struggles they faced from long hard days, homelessness, being jobless, etc. The images all represent strength and perseverance. “On the East River”, shows two men going through the hard times and surviving with little to nothing. “The Lord Provides”, displays the strenght and perseverance of a woman who is standing up for herself and fellow Americans around the country. “Employment Agency”, depicts hard working citizens who are waiting day in and day out in hopes to find a job that will but them back on their feet, The particular pieces I chose are perfect insights into what the Great Depression was like for those who lived in the city.
‘The Grapes of Wrath’, is all about the Great Depression and the lives of people affected by it. Although the pieces I chose depict city life instead of rural life during this time period, they still connect in many ways. Both the pieces and the literature are focused around those whom the Great Depression affected greatly. In “The Grapes of Wrath”, people lost their sources of income and needed employment, especially farmers and their families who had their land taken away from them. The search for employment is represented by the painting “Employment Agency” in which people waited for hours in hopes to find a job. “On the East River” and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ both represent people who have worked hard and are working hard but still have lost it all as a result of the depression. Overall, the pieces and the literature are based around the same time period, and although the lifestyles of those depleted in both may be different; they both represent struggle and what life was truly like for the lower and working class during the Great Depression.