
In all of United States history there have been many different time periods that have had catastrophically impacted the people. However, there are not many that rival the era of the 1930’s, otherwise known as the Great Depression. The Great Depression reached across every corner of the country and touched nearly every citizen in America. When considering the detrimental effects of the Great Depression it becomes easier to understand John Steinbeck’s bleak point of view in Of Mice and Men. He does so because he considered reaching the. American Dream to be an unattainable goal.

The Great Depression of the 1930’s continues to go down in history as the longest and most influential economic crisis in the United States. Life during the Great Depression was drastically different from the carefree lifestyle of the roaring twenties and followed the stock market crash of 1929. According to History.com, 13-15 million people were without jobs by 1933 and almost half of the banks were out of business. This heavily impacted the morale of the country and many people lost hope. This included people from every walk of life, from people already on the verge of homelessness to corporate giants. Investors in particular were hit hard by the depression, unprepared for such a turn in the economy. Though President Franklin D. Roosevelt did implement acts for relief and reform the nation as a whole believed that the economy would right itself without too much government interference (McCollum 18). However, this quickly proved to be false. By the end of 1933 one in four Americans were without jobs (McCollum 18).  In a review on the book The Economics of the Great Depression Wheelis points out that Wheeler's writing actually falls “short of doing justice to the scope and magnitude of the event itself” (Wallis 230). He also explains that the Great Depression was a pivotal moment in United States history not only because of its economic impact but also because of how it influenced politics. During this time period there were “25% unemployment and an apparent collapse of the economic system” (Wallis 230). This is why this affected everyone's lives in the country.  In his 1933 inaugural address Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke to the people and said, “happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work must no longer be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits” (McCollum 18). Despite Roosevelt's encouraging speech many Americans lost hope for the American Dream. This included the author John Steinbeck. 

John Steinbeck wrote the novel Of Mice and Men in 1937, during the Great Depression, which heavily impacted his storyline. A large part of the Great Depression was unemployment which can be seen in Of Mice and Men.  The story involves two traveling men who are down on their luck and are determined to find a job on a farm. George finds this task to be so sensitive that when he goes to talk to the owner of the ranch he does all of the talking because he is worried that Lennie’s mental disability will ruin their chances. In essence, George needs to lie in order to secure a job which highlights the difficulty in receiving one during this time. In fact, George directly tells Lennie this saying “You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time"(Steinbeck 89). The men clearly have a hard time keeping jobs and are forced to migrant across the countryside because of it.  According to Sean McCollum millions of Americans lost not only their homes and businesses but also their farms (18). People on the verge of losing them would have a hard time paying for hired help. It is also important to note that what they want to do for work is not to work as a farm hand but instead to own one. However, because of unemployment they are unable to secure the funds to do so. In the end, George is forced to kill Lennie because he knows his friend will never be able to have the life or job he wants. 

Unemployment led to many things, both financially and emotionally. Hopelessness became widespread across the country as citizens began to lose hope in the American Dream. Many people had only wished to be able to provide for their families and even this was no longer possible. In the case of Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie aspire to have their own piece of land to farm and Lennie wants to have rabbits. This does not seem like a stretch but during this time period it was nearly unheard of. In fact, it was so outlandish that Crooks compared it to  heaven saying “Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head” (Stienbeck 89). No one believed the American Dream to be possible and even looked down on people who hoped. Most people choose not to hope which can be seen when George says, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place… They ain't got nothing to look ahead to” (Steinbeck 113). This changes the perspective of the story because Lennie and George are striving to achieve that American Dream which Steinbeck viewed as unachievable in this time. Essentially, the land represents Steinbeck's version of the American dream which meant having his own farm, and being self-sufficient. Therefore, they never make it to the land they have been trying to reach. 

The impossibility of the American Dream affected many people and caused many chain reactions. For example, bitterness was widespread in America. It is reflected in Steinbeck's work that he did not believe in an easy world or good people and this can be blamed on the Great Depression. He believed that this harsh time made people cruel. For instance, the men in the book belittle Curley’s wife for no particular reason. Steinbeck does not even call her by her real name throughout the novel to emphasize how the men viewed her. It is widely debated who wins the title of the most pathetic character in Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife and Crooks have both been considered and it's interesting to read their interactions throughout the book. At one point, she enters Crooks room and he grows heated enough to stand up to her saying "I had enough… You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all” (Steinbeck 116). Crooks talks down to Curley's wife at first, even threatening to tell her husband on her. However, she strikes back telling him "keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny" (Steinbeck 116). Afterwards Steinbeck describes Crooks as having “reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego--nothing to arouse either like or dislike (116). This conversation shows how two people who have been put down repeated, one for their race and one for their gender would have attacked each other during this time of economic crisis. One would think that Curley's wife would understand what Crooks feels but instead she threatens him and puts him down. This time also took the life and personality away from people like Crooks who no longer had the energy to battle against the constant disappointments. Furthermore, not only was it a time of loneliness and little hope but many people suffered because of the economy. This can be seen in how injured or disabled people like Candy received barely enough compensation to live. These factors made it very easy for people to be bitter during the time of the Great Depression. It would not until later that the New Deal was signed into law which implemented things such as social security, the minimum wage, the welfare system, and National Labor Relations Board which would have benefited people such as Crooks and Candy (Wallis 230). 

The Great Depression was a time that affected everyone’s lives in a negative way. It was a time when a quarter of the people in the country were unemployed and hopeless, unable to provide for their families. Because of this people grew bitter and lost sight of the American Dream. This is reflected in John Steinbeck’s considerably bleak novel, Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck views the American Dream as an impossibility which is why George and Lennie are never able to secure their own piece of land with rabbits or farm it. 
