Great Depression Literature and Music

The Depression-era literature was defined by proletarian themes. Many of the books written in this time depicted the wealthy with disgust as they benefited off of the suffering of the majority of Americans. Famous proletarian writers included John Dos Passos, Erskine Caldwell, Richard Wright, and John Steinbeck. Dos Passos wrote a trilogy depicting the growth of American materialism from the 1890s to the early years of the Depression. Caldwell published a book, You Have Seen Their Faces, with a photographer, Margaret Bourke-White. It described the rural poverty in the south. Richard Write depicted the struggles of black Americans in a white society in his four short stories, Uncle Tom’s Children. John Steinbeck’s most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath exemplifies proletarian literature. 
The music of this era was dominated by swing music. These songs seemed to lighten the national mood. Popular songs included, “Happy Days are Here Again,” “We’re in the Money,” and Over the Rainbow.” Songs that talked about poor conditions and struggles also emerged. Woody Guthrie was a popular folk singer who wrote simple songs depicting the conditions of people in the Dust Bowl during the Depression. In his songs, he described the people’s migration west in a similar way that Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath. The literature and music of this era depict the poor conditions but also their hopes for a better future.