A Long Way from Chicago

The Great Depression refers to a period of a downward turn in worldwide economics from 1929-1939. While some historians pinpoint the beginning of the depression as “Black Thursday” (the United States stock market crash of October 24, 1929), others look at a combination of elements from the years before this pivotal moment. Due to several factors including inequalities in income and the overproduction of goods, the sales of consumer goods dropped significantly, which caused prices to fall and investors to borrow less. This combination drove stock prices to all-time lows. As a result, unemployment rates rose as high as 23% in the United States, and this domino effect is demonstrated throughout Richard Peck’s novel. One example occurs with the introduction of the drifters in Chapter 3: people who have lost their jobs and their homes. With nowhere to go and no work to be found, they wander from town to town, seeking food and shelter.

While the far-reaching effects of the Great Depression are demonstrated through a variety of side characters in A Long Way From Chicago, Joey, Mary Alice, and Grandma remain mostly unscathed by the worsening conditions. No mention is given to the specific hardships faced by city people or farmers, and aside from Grandma insisting on things like making soap instead of buying it, the economic impact on her life is not much explored. Joey’s family seems to be one of the lucky groups who fared reasonably well throughout the Great Depression. At one point, Joey even wonders whether his parents will go on a fishing trip while he and Mary Alice are with their grandmother, and their ability to indulge in such a trip suggests that his family is weathering the crisis well. Yet although Grandma does well enough despite the country’s economic difficulties, other members of the town, including her friend, lose almost everything they have, exemplifying the unpredictability both of the Great Depression and of the stock market.