I am on my way to Weed in hopes to find a mining job. My supply of food and money is meager. My clothes and shoes are worn from my long journey by foot. The only thing that takes my mind away from my despair is the pulp magazines I find on my journeys. The stories allow me to escape my loneliness and fear; however, the escape is shortened as I keep reliving in my mind the dates and events that caused my downfall. I can’t believe I once had everything now I am as poor as dirt.

July 29, 1929. What a swell day to drive around in my new breezer. I am going to pick up my baby; I hope she gets all dolled up because we are going out to a ritzy restaurant to celebrate my stock investment tripling its worth. I plan on taking that girl to the middle aisle come December. I have been stuck on her since we were youngsters.

September 20, 1929. I am starting to get the heebie jeebies about holding on to my stock. The market has been fluctuating. However, I am optimistic it will be strong again. I believe the bankers will keep lending like they did in March and the market will have another strong upward trend. I am going to hang onto the same optimism I had when I was listening to those men in the barber shop, talking about the strength of the stock market. I will keep reminding myself that the stocks are an investment in my future and they have made many people rich.

October 24, 1929. Wow, I can’t believe all my stocks are worth nothing. I lost my entire jack, what will happen to my future? Did you hear, people are killing themselves because of the stock market crash? It would take a lot more than that to bump myself off. I know, I will sell my ole hay burner and use that money to live on for awhile.

October 25, 1929. Wow, I can’t believe it. I don’t have to sell my breezer. The banks did it again! They saved my stocks by investing their money into the stock market and making the market strong again. I think I will take my baby out to a nice joint to celebrate. I can’t believe it in a month and a half my baby and I will be getting married. I am going to sell some of my stocks and pay cash for our first house.
December 6, 1929. I feel all balled up; I hope this mining job offers a good wage. I have never felt so abandoned in my life. Black Tuesday has absolutely ruined me. My baby left me, I lost my car, and the dream of owning my own home is gone. I feel so isolated from the life I wanted to live.


This character had hopes and dreams to share his prosperous life with the woman of his dreams. However, he lost everything on Black Tuesday when the stock market crashed. He now has to rebuild his life during the Great Depression without the woman he loved but found she was with him only for his money. The character in this story feels loneliness, not because he is physically isolated but because he is emotionally isolated and has to find his way on his own.