The Lamp At Noon Short Story

1170 Words5 Pages
On one of the most devastating days in economic history, the stock market crashed with the value of the dollar being useless. Many families were left without any warning, losing any of their savings placed in stocks. People started to worry, rushing to the banks to withdraw quickly whatever money they had left to make sure they didn 't lose anything else. Banks were closing faster than people could get to them, leaving people with nothing. The people who did grasp their money spent less on items that they needed because prices skyrocketed, which in return got people getting laid off from their jobs, worsening the economy and losing even more money. Then, the environment started to play a role. Major dust storms swept through the prairies, leaving farmers with no crops and no ways to get food or make money. These additional effects to the stock market crash made the banks take people’s belongings, homes, vehicles, and anything that they had. The future looked bleak during this time for many. In the short story, “The Lamp at Noon” by Sinclair Ross, the author develops this idea that the negative effects of the Great Depression clearly affect the future of the individuals and their children. Through the story, Ellen and Paul live in a small town in a solitary prairie farmhouse in the middle of the depression. They have a barn with their animals inside, and they have a big field where they grow their crops. In the past, they were able to grow their crops and get their maximum