OMAM context

Question 1

Great depression (Candy?)

Answer 1

Due to the Great Depression, many employers were reluctant to hire or keep older workers. This utilitarian attitude led to lots of ageism in ranches.

Question 2

Female characters in films (Curley’s wife?)

Answer 2

• It has been argued that, in the 1930s (and in the decades since), female characters in films tended to be presented as one-dimensional sexual objects.

Question 3

Jim Crow (Crooks?)

Answer 3

• While the law stated that everyone was equal in the 1930s, the Jim Crow laws were still there. This meant that racial segregation was normalised in their society.

Question 4

Wall Street Crash (George + Lennie)

Answer 4

• The Wall Street Crash left 1/3 of Americans unemployed. Against this backdrop of suffering, friendship was all that remained for many.

Question 5

Dust bowl migration

Answer 5

Drought and dust storms swept across several states in mid-west America meaning crops were very poor in these areas. People migrated to California as they thought there would be job opportunities there, but with the estimated 1.3 million people travelling moving to california, work was actually very difficult to find. Wages were low and jobs were scarce, so the lifestyle that they lived was very insecure. Without work, people would have no way of supporting themselves. This is why the dream is so important: it would give them a sense of safety and independence.

Question 6

‘In the pitchers’ (Curley’s wife)

Answer 6

• We know Curley’s wife wanted to be ‘in the pitchers’ and this is her version of the American Dream. In her hair and clothing, Curley’s wife models herself upon glamorous and seductive female movie stars.

Question 7

Lynching (Crooks)

Answer 7

• Lynching was still a common occurrence in the 1930s. Roughly 5000 people were lynched between 1882 to 1964.

Question 8

American Dream (George + Lennie)

Answer 8

• The American Dream seemed impossible due to the Wall Street crash and the economic problems many workers faced. The thing that made the dream a possibility for them is the friendship that they shared.

Question 9

Curley’s wife prejudice context

Answer 9

Men often cruelly judged women in the 1930’s. If they were known to flirt with other men, they were seen as trouble and if they weren’t married by a young age they were seen as a disappointment to their family.

Question 10

The American Dream (Everyone)

Answer 10

The American Dream was first coined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 novel, the epic of america. In which he described it as: “Opportunity for each, based on ability or acheivement… regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of position or birth.”