EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies
Year : 2013, Volume : 3, Issue : 7
First page : ( 150) Last page : ( 156)
Online ISSN : 2249-8834.

Echoes of the great depression: An analysis of Lillian Hellman's “The Little Foxes”

Dr. Bhuvaneswari V.

Assistant Professor (Senior), English Division, School of Social Sciences and Languages, VIT University Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

Online published on 4 September, 2013.

Abstract

The Great Depression of 1930–1945 had a substantial and varied impact on the lives of Americans. Physically and psychologically, it was devastating to many people, who not only lacked adequate food, shelter, and clothing but felt they were to blame for their desperate state. The psychological impact was equally damaging. During the prosperity of the 1920s, many Americans believed success went to those who deserved it. Self-blame and self-doubt became epidemic. The uncertainties produced a sense of helplessness and despair. The poverty and hunger brought forth by the Great Depression clearly caused society at times to neglect not only their souls but also their dreams. Lillian Hellman, whose literary career started with the Great Depression, explores the nature of evil and moral decay of the society of her times. This paper examines the effect of the Great Depression in the Lillian Hellman's “The Little Foxes”

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Keywords

alienation, American Drama, Great Depression, greed, Lillian Hellman.

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