Sophie
Casimes
April
22, 2014
US
History
Cinderella
Man and the Great Depression
Cinderella Man is similar to many
actual events during the Great Depression. One recurring theme throughout the
movie that was common in many households was the shame that came along with the
struggle of being broke. Many husbands and fathers felt ashamed that they were
unable to provide for their families, causing many of them to abandon them in
search of a better life. In the film, Jimmy is shown with no other choice then
to receive state aid when his children are forced to leave their home after the
heat and electricity is cut off. While
going to receive the aid, he feels like a failure and is given many disapproving
glances. This idea is seen in other scenes where husbands are seen walking away
from their screaming wives.
Because of this overwhelming poverty,
many people were forced to sell anything of value. This is true in both reality
and the movie. The very last scene of Jimmy and Mae’s perfect life shows the
beautiful keepsakes they had lined up on their dresser, which then ends with a
different worn down, obviously much less valuable dresser with nothing on it. Another
scene in which this is evident is when Mae visits Jimmy’s manager assuming he
and his wife are living above everyone else, only to find an empty apartment
with nothing but a fold up table and a few chairs. This was a very common act
because for most people it was their only way of earning money because of the
lack of jobs and work.
Another way the movie can be seen as
factually accurate is through how there is constantly not enough work for
people. Even in scenes not focused on this, men can still be seen wondering the
streets in worn out clothes searching for work. There are always men down at
the docks looking for the chance to earn money in any way possible to support
their family. This can also be seen when the pastor asks Jimmy why he was not
at mass that morning to which he responds “You can get an extra shift on Sunday”,
showing how desperate people were for work. And even when Jimmy breaks his
hand, he does everything in his power to hide it so that he has the chance to
work and provide for his family. This was a huge problem during the Great
Depression because the amount of jobs could not compare with the growing rate
of unemployment.
A few other ways in which the movie
correctly coincides with many events in this time period are how the son steals
a sausage because of the lack of food, how the radio began to bring people
together, and how Hoovervilles existed in many major cities. The movie
Cinderella Man did a great job of portraying the struggle of survival during
the Great Depression, those being just a few of the examples.
