The depression affected all walks of life. Interestingly enough, these people were also affected after the depression. Although the country was building its economy and the common man was still poor, he still had to face the daily burdens of society. President Roosevelt did what he could do to achieve a better America, but destitution always seemed around the corner. As the setting of Invisible Man is a time after the depression, the average black man is still poor.
Many things have had to occur in history to make the Great Depression. During the Roaring 20s, America abused its economy. Unprotected business led to the downfall of the American economy. In addition, the booming industry gained profitable margins and repaid the nation's workers with little pay. Under this practice, the richer grew richer, and the poor only got poorer. Consumers soon witnessed themselves with a lack of purchasing power, and the economy fell in both the automobile and home industry.
During the Hoover Administration, President Hoover believed in a laissez-faire democracy. Hoover wanted private companies to provide aid in the form of charity to the masses. He did not want to increase the budget and have the government play a major role in fixing the economy.
The economic situation next went into the hands of one of America's best Presidents, President Roosevelt. Roosevelt created the New Deal and the First 100 Days within the New Deal. Through fireside chats, Roosevelt promised a better economy, way of life, and overall moral feeling. Through use of the New Deal, Roosevelt created many social and economical policies that would help the economy. Through this method, Roosevelt put the government to work for the people. He truly wanted the plight of the American people to fare better than before. With government interaction, there was a restoration and increase in purchasing power.
One of the many institutions set up under the Roosevelt presidency was the Works Progress Administration. The economy benefited from the organization because unemployment benefits had started, the bill on social security had passed, and the minimum wage law was put into effect. Roosevelt believed in balancing the budget as did Hoover; however, he wanted to strengthen the economy by strengthening the people first.
Growing up in the depression, Invisible Man constantly lives with the smell of cabbage. The cabbage that Invisible Man smells at Mary's house is the same smell at his house during his childhood. The cabbage represents the exact economy of the country. Many had to constantly cook cabbage as it was the cheapest food to consume. Days of just cabbage would represent a shortage of money, and hard times.
The yams that Invisible Man wants is a reminder of the south, a south hurt by depression almost before the depression began. The effects had been terrible even after the depression was over. People, blacks and whites, went to the north where they thought they could have a better life. From the North came many whites to help free the blacks and secure the unstable infrastructure of the South.
Communism became popular among many as a means of getting out of the depression era and into one where the economy would become stable. Mainly politicians were the ones to disrespect the communist cause as they knew the goals and ambitions of communism.
Blacks in the north, in particular Harlem, did not own many businesses. Although they congregated around major areas, they could not stabilize their own economy. In a fit of anger, Ras tells his people not to listen to Invisible Man who wants to work with the white man because it is the same white man that took their business away. Blacks found themselves without jobs or without business in their place of work. The black economy was nonexistent, and this led to the black power movement in both the 1950s and 1960s.