Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man Essay When you think of the Roaring Twenties, Jazz musicians, The Harlem Renaissance, and flappers all come to mind. They all remind you of great joy and happiness. Light-weight contender James J. Braddock was an average family man living a great, successful life in the United States during the year of 1928. When the Great Depression hit due to the stock market crash, James’ life started to go downhill and it was becoming harder for him to provide for his family. After losing an unsuccessful boxing fight to Abe Feldman, Braddock won no money and he got fired from his boxing career. He also suffered from a broken hand. On the day of June 13th, 1935, Braddock got an opportunity to fight heavyweight champion Max Baer for $250.00. Unlike Baer, Braddock was fighting for his family and not for fame. Since Braddock was struggling with his personal and financial life like many others during this time, people found it easy to relate to him. The fact that Braddock was struggling and that he was fighting for his family was what made him become a hero to the common man. During the Great Depression, many people in the U.S. were having a very hard time paying their bills, keeping their jobs, and getting enough money for food. Many lost their houses, causing them to sell everything that they had in order to get some extra money. Many people during the Great Depression used the radio as a way to escape the hardships that they were going through at this time. Listening to boxing fights was very common and it helped people forget their struggles for a while. When it was time for Braddock to step into the ring and fight Baer, Braddock had the people of New Jersey on his side. During the scene when James made his way to Madison Square Garden, people on the sidewalks waved to him and cheered him on. It was then when Braddock realized that not just his family was counting on him, but the people of New Jersey were counting on his as well. He began to realize that they