The saying goes, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get” (Forrest). Originating from the movie Forest Gump, this quote connects the good and bad flavors of chocolates to the good and bad times in life. The 1930s were the equivalent to the least liked chocolate flavor. At the very beginning of the decade, America fell into a huge depression, and to make matters worse, the Dust Bowl disaster started nearly at the same time. Many people living in the 1930s fell into poverty and had a very hard time getting through the depression. Due to the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and movies, “The Demanding Decade” is an appropriate title for the 1930s. The Great Depression dominated the 1930s. It was the “deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn… of the Western industrialized world” (“Great” History 1). In 1929, stocks fell. Because of this, many people sold all of their stocks causing the market to fall rapidly (Cooper 17). This crash caused the market to decrease by a frightening 89% and industry to fall 50% (Taylor 1; “Great” History 3). The Great Depression brought a lot pain and suffering to Americans throughout the century, causing it to be an important aspect in defining the 1930s. The Great Depression forcefully …show more content…
Although many of the deaths of this time were caused by starvation, the suicide rate increased (Cooper 18; Watkins 54). Also, the marriage and birthrates decreased by a notable amount (Watkins 55, 56). In multiple cases, people felt as if it would be better to be dead (Watkins 56, 66). The Great Depression demanded two important parts of peoples’ lives to be ripped away: the desire for life and some of the best milestones in life. The Great Depression caused a lot of people to be emotionally depressed along with the economic depression. Depression affects many aspects of your every day life negatively. The Great Depression demanded to take away emotional