The Great Depression and the Cinderella Man

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Cinderella Man came out in the year 2005, it is a non fiction movie directed by Ron Howard. It is based on the story of a boxer during the Depression, James J. Braddock. Braddock had to over come many adversities such as the economical and societal conditions. Another adversity he had to overcome was living in the Depression and all the things that go along with that. Braddock’s character traits shown in the movie are all important and appropriate due to the harshness of those times.

The economical and societal conditions and their changes during the film had a dramatic affect on the story. The movie starts off with James J. Braddock, in the twenties which was a great economical time, and it shows when he comes home, with a bundle of cash from the boxing match he has just one, to a beautiful house that is filled with nice objects in a nice suburbia neighborhood. This shows the audience the wealth of this time period and how many people could do no wrong and buy whatever they want. During the twenties unemployment was low and the stock market was up. This scene also points out where the Braddock family is now because it all changes in the very next scene. The next scene flashes forward to the thirties during the Depression and the setting changes to a small dim apartment located in the Bronx. During this time Braddock’s kids are not playing with any fancy toys or anything but his daughter has what looked like a home made doll. The significance for the movie to do this is to show the audience the hard times and the living conditions of the Depression. People did not have a lot of money. Braddock gives his meal up to his daughter when she says she is still hungry after she finished hers. He had to give up his...

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...fect on the Braddock family and friends changes the way they eat, the housing they live in, and money income. Finally, what really kept the Braddock family together were there strong character traits. All of those points together made the movie Cinderella Man a very accurate source of information about the Depression.

Works Cited
Wikipedia, Free Encyclopedia. "Cinderella Man". Wikipedia. 3-10-10

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Nelson, Carry. "About the Great Depression". Modern American Poetry . 3-10-10 .

The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers."The Great Depression." Teaching Eleanor Roosevelt, ed. by Allida Black, June Hopkins, et. al. (Hyde Park, New York: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, 2003). http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/great-depression.htm [Accessed March 10, 2010].

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