Themes of depression and despair were prevalent themes in the American literature of the 1930s. A wide range of writers explored these themes, many of them passionately, and some became famous as some of the best writers of the twentieth century. For example, Sinclair Lewis became the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and Erskine Caldwell wrote a novel about the struggles of working-class people, including the need to escape the squalor of the webtoon times.
Other themes of the 1930s in American literature included social and political inequality, as well as the effects of war and the Depression on the American dream. Playwrights of this era included Eugene O’Neill and Richard Wright. Dreiser, who had supported the political left, wrote Uncle Tom’s Children and Native Son, and was recognized for literary excellence. His plays explore race relations and the plight of blacks.
Many writers of the 1930s looked back into the past to criticize American values and institutions. These writers’ work reflected a rich mix of pasts and diverse political and cultural commitments. Some writers were left-wing radicals and others were firmly conservative. Nevertheless, the conflicting pasts provided a vehicle for the writers to defend their competing views of the present. The 1930s were a time of social and political unrest.
Other authors of this era were primarily concerned with political issues. Various authors continued to focus on issues related to women’s rights, and many authors made a conscious effort to portray the lives of working-class women in realistic fashion. Many of these writers also emphasized the importance of the arts in society, namely writing about women’s rights. And, in many cases, they sought to create a positive social change through their writing starmusiq.
