Help Wanted: Real Life Stories of the Great Depression and World War II

Introduction:

When people think of the Great Depression, they think of America in the 1930s, which for some people is a hard thing to imagine. A world without television, internet, cars, even hot water and electricity is a very difficult thing for some people to imagine. Living without it seems nearly impossible. However, when the banks shut down and America was tossed into economic distress, the citizens of the United States had to live it. An excerpt from a book written during the Great Depression by Edwin Gay (1932) reads, "In such a depression as this the problem is infinitely complex, decisions are beset by doubt, action seems always too late or has effects contrary to what were expected, and disunion and disruption have spread as each centrifugal force, seeking to strengthen itself, weakens the whole" (p. 529). This feeling of hopelessness and the loss of faith that Gay describes was felt by Americans everywhere, as they went without food, warmth, and clothes. Through personal interviews and other outside sources, this paper will explore fact and fiction of the Great Depression, in order to help readers better understand what really happened on a more personal level compared to what the history books and media tell us.

Photo of children protesting for their parents during

the Great Depression, circa 1930. Source: Market.

Not many people are still alive today to tell stories of the depression, and what really happened. However, my grandmother, Beatrice Goulet, spent her childhood growing up through the depression and World War II. She was born in 1929, the first year of the Great Depression. She was the second child of five brothers and one sister, as well as the daughter of Maurice and Gladys Forand (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

The Beginning

My grandmother was born on September 17, 1929.

The interesting thing about the year she was born was that it marked the beginning of the Great Depression. In 1929, the banks went bankrupt and the stock market crashed. There was no official date linked to the beginning of the depression, however "Black Thursday" is said to have been a critical starting point. Black Thursday happened on October 24, 1929, and was the result of the Wall Street stock market crashing (Rosenzweig, Lichtenstein, Brown, Jaffee, 2008, p. 391). Following Black Thursday, the stock markets continued to plunge and America was in an economic depression.

Before the depression, my grandmother's grandparents had been considered very well-off, and she was considered part of a wealthy family. When the stock market crashed, all of their liberty bonds and stocks went bankrupt, and they became broke just like everyone else. Goulet lived with her grandparents for some time in the beginning of the depression. This was in Marlborough, New Hampshire. While living there, her father, Maurice, was working in a shoe shop. She was the second child of seven at this time, and when her mother became pregnant with the fourth child of the family they had to leave because of the lack of room in the house. At the same time, her father lost his job at the shoe shop because it went out of business, so they went off in search of a new place to call home. By the time she ended up in Athol, Massachusetts in 1937 where she still lives today, she had attended thirteen different schools and lived in four different states (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

A newspaper article about Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. Source: Life.

Hard Times, Innocent Minds

In the beginning of the Great Depression, America was hit hard. According to Rosenzweig (2007), "In the months following the stock market crash, joblessness spread across the country" (p. 395). Because of the unemployment that followed the stock market crash, innocent children who were once fed plentiful meals at dinner went without food. Homes were lost, and some had so little money they could not even afford to rent apartments, rendering them homeless. People who lived upstanding, hard working American lives were forced to swallow their pride and stand in bread lines and soup kitchens just to feed their children (Rosenzweig, 2007, p. 392). Goulet remembers this being a true statement for the adult world. But although the adult population had to resort to desperate measures to support their families, and often times grovel to supply one meal a day, they somehow managed to protect their children's childhoods.

In order to protect their children's childhood, Goulet's parents frequently relocated whenever it was necessary for them to seek employment elsewhere. Instead of making the children feel insecure about the economic crisis and the issues they were having with money, they chose to see the change in a positive light, and tell the children there was more of an opportunity where they were going (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011). In addition to relocating to a more promising town, they always had gardens as well as livestock so as to be self-sufficient and not rely completely on income alone.

A picture of children in line at a soup kitchen

during the Great Depression, circa 1932. Source: TMG.

All of the lengths that Goulet's parents went to for protection of their children must have worked, because after eighty years, Goulet still recalls never feeling the sting of the depression. When I asked my grandmother how hard it was growing up with nothing, the answer she gave me was quite surprising, and not what I had expected. She said: "I really don't remember much, my parents never let us know we were having money problems. We were loved by our parents and God and that was all that mattered. We worked hard for what we had, but we believed that was how it was supposed to be" (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011). At a very young age my grandmother was working out on the farm, doing chores that grown men often do. Today, Goulet realizes the hardships she had to face as a child, but at the time she saw it as a normal life. Though books about the depression and different films and documentaries often made it look as if everyone, including the children, were suffering, Goulet doesn't remember much of 'suffering', but only working hard. Other than that, her family's religion and love protected her from feeling anything else.

The Real Meaning of Desperate Measures

Although Goulet mostly remembers happy times during the Great Depression, she has a few memories of when she had to watch her parents put pride aside and ask for help. One winter in 1940, when her mother was pregnant with her seventh and last child, they ran out of food. Goulet's mother had been canning tomatoes and jam to get by the best they could, but it wasn't enough. Her pregnant mother and her siblings as well as herself were starving, and were running out of clothes. Being the second oldest child, her mother insisted she went with her on a three mile walk to a relief center in order to be able to carry supplies back home. My grandmother described the clothes she was given in my personal interview with her, remembering in great detail the way they made her feel, "They were blue dresses all made out of the same material. They were ugly as sin. Until I had to wear one, I never noticed that everyone else was wearing them too, like uniforms. At this point, everyone was poor and pride had gone out the window. All I knew is it was better than going naked" (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

Besides the blue dresses, my grandmother told me a story of how she used to make skirts out of grain bags used for the grain for the animals. She said they were very pretty colors, and once she had learned to sew she would cut them up, wash them, and sew them into broom stick skirts. Other children who lived on farms did the same thing. She remembers that no one made fun of each other for doing this because everyone was poor, and it offered them all a little individuality (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

Interestingly enough, in a book titled Dear Mrs. Roosevelt by Robert Cohen, the subject of children's clothing during the Great Depression is actually discussed. The book is filled with real letters from children asking different things of Mrs. Roosevelt, the First Lady at the time. The chapter on clothing is the largest chapter filled with the most letters, and in it Cohen (2002) writes, "Clothing was requested so frequently because it figured prominently in the lives of lower-class youths, not only because of its basic function but because it was the most tangible sign of class" (p. 38). What Cohen is saying is that clothing was the most frequently asked for item because it gave children a sense of security about who they were; if they had nice clothes, then they weren't as poor as everyone else. My grandmother spoke of the blue dresses the relief center gave her in a similar way, as if they were uniforms of the depression. In her voice, I could tell that even back then she was ashamed to be wearing them, but as she said, it was better than going naked.

In addition to the blue dresses that became a 'uniform' of the depression to my grandmother, she also remembers the new meaning that bread gave to her life. Today, when people have real home made bread it is cherished and enjoyed. However during the depression, Goulet recalls that home made bread was a sign of poverty. It meant that the child's family didn't have enough money to go to the store and buy a loaf, they had to make it on their own (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

Happier Memories

Most people regard the depression as an economic crisis, as it was. But something that not everyone sees is that not everyday was filled with hardships and misery and suffering. Even though there was no money, life went on, but in a much simpler way. Young and Young (2007), authors of The Great Depression in America, write, "Unlike any other era, the 1930s witnessed the rise of a true mass popular culture available to call" (p. XXV). Agreeing with Young et. Al, Goulet also remembers being surrounded by new and fun pop culture, as well as something she referred to as "free fun" (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011).

Something that became a huge hit during the Great Depression was the radio: "Radio, hugely popular throughout the country, allowed listeners to engage in other activities while tuned into their favorite programs, and that meant an increase of games and hobbies of all kinds" (Young et. Al, 2007, p. XXV). My grandmother also remembers the popularity of the radio. Although her family couldn't afford a nice one, they got a small one around 1934. She was smiling when she said, "Imagine how funny it must have looked seeing six kids crowded around a teeny tiny radio" (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011). She said her favorite radio program (and one of the only ones she was allowed to listen to, her mother was very religious and strict) was Gang Busters.

Another important part of culture, even today, that was claimed to have become popular during the depression was board games.Young et. Al (2007) claim, "With high unemployment and more available leisure time, the depression years witnessed a rise in the popularity of board games. Monopoly being the undisputed champion" (p. 312). Goulet also remembers playing tons of board games. They were simple, and did not require any electricity, so one can imagine how many there must have been when times were hard. Goulet remembers playing Monopoly, Parcheesi, Chinese checkers and also many many card games. These games included Canasta, 21, and Go-Fish (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011)

Another thing that Goulet mentioned frequently during the interview was what she referred to as 'free fun'. This consisted of kick the can, hide and seek, walking, racing, and reading. She said imagination played an important role, and the kids in her neighborhood would often play house and pretend to be rich (B. Goulet, personal communication, April 29, 2011). Other things she remembers being popular was pin curling hair, because no one had money to get perms or buy hair products. She would get penny candy a lot when they did have a little bit of extra money, and sometimes she would go to the Soda Fountain in the center of Athol to get shakes. Even though money was short, during her childhood Goulet tried to make the best of what she had and still have a good time.

Conclusion

Overall, I have found that most of what the books say are true. When it comes to statistics of how people were suffering, I would say they are pretty accurate. From my personal interview with my grandmother, however, I did feel like the way that the children suffered was somewhat dramatized. The children suffered just as much as the parents physically, but as Goulet said, most of them were oblivious to what was going on. However, being an adult with a large family during the depression must have been a very hard thing to manage. From what Goulet said, I can imagine how hard it would be for a mother and father to keep a smile on their face when they were only making on average 33 cents a week (Rosenzweig et. Al, 2008, p. 411). All in all, I feel that some of the things children and adults alike experienced during that time could never begin to be understood by anyone who is alive today because of all that we have been offered with technology.

References

Cohen, R. (2011). Dear mrs. roosevelt: Letters from the great depression. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?id=1fCieZGtWVAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=children+in+the+great+depression&hl=en&ei=6ALPTdmWOYmdgQfK86CxDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false (Original work published in 2002).

Gay, E. F. (1932). The great depression. Foreign affairs, 10, 529-540. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Goulet, B. (1935). Personal photograph. Marlborough, New Hampshire.

Life Magazine. (1929). [Photo of a newspaper article from Black Thursday, October 29, 1929]. In Wall Street Crash. Retrieved from http://www.life.com/image/78075346

Market Leader. (2011). [Photo of children protesting for their parents during the Great Depression]. In The US Crisis: The Great Depression of 1929-1933. Retrieved from http://www.profi-forex.us/news/entry4000000221.html

Rosenzweig, R., Lichtenstein, N., Brown, J., & Jaffee, D. (2008). Who built America?: Working people and the nation's history (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's.

TMG Strategies. (1932). [Photo of children in soup line during the depression in 1932]. In The End of the Big Gulp Era. Retrieved from http://undercurrents.tmgstrategies.com/

Wheeler, K. (2010). Personal photograph. Athol, Massachusetts.

Young, W.H., Young, N.K. (2011). The great depression in america: A cultural encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?id=QYYMqXUyjnUC&pg=PR19&dq=pop+culture+during+the+great+depression&hl=en&ei=z8rNTbHhIcjqgQf89e3IDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false (Original work published in 2007).