Cinderella Man

Part I: I think so far Cinderella Man has been my favorite movie. It really depicted what life was like during the Great Depression, and showed a personal story and how his boxing career tied into that. I found the character of Jimmy Braddock so admirable throughout the movie. He was a person who never game up, not even if he physically should not have been still fighting. When the Great Depression hit, he wanted more than anything not to have to send away his kids, and he promised his son that. So he did everything he could to avoid that, even boxing and working with a broken wrist. It was also very eye-opening to see the little amount of food they actually could eat during this time, especially for the young kids who should be getting nutrients and core foods but they couldn't because of the Great Depression. Throughout the story, Braddock's wife remained a strong character. Boxing is extremely dangerous, and every time Braddock left to go to a match she would face the thoughts that he could be seriously injured. While it was a source of money, there was always this great fear that something awful could happen to me. Especially when it came the time for Braddock to box Max Baer, a man who had killed 2 men in a match before. By this time, Braddock had this huge drive to win that made him so successful. When he broke his wrist he had his boxing license taken away, and thought that wouldn't be a possibility again. Then when he was given the chance to fight again, he proved himself. His inspiration came from the effects of the Great Depression. His motivation was so strong that it made him incredible, and he was able to box again. And finally when it came to the hardest match against Max Baer, he proved this motivation again by winning the match. I think ultimately that this movie shows how strong people had to be during this time. Parents were having such a hard time finding work that they could no longer provide for their kids, and would have to often send them away. This movie shows how Braddock never gave up in despite of it all, and come on top and proved himself to be a great boxer when no one thought he was.

Part II: Braddock clearly inspired many people who were in a similar situation as him, and brought a source of hope for tons of people. I think it was the idea that Braddock was in the same situation as many other people during this time. He represented someone who went through so much. He was hit hard by the Great Depression and had to scramble for work to feed his family. Everyone lost hope in him as a boxer, and he came back with a sense of motivation that made him better than ever. To the masses of people, he represented something that these people could be. He came from nothing and proved everyone wrong, and was able to beat Max Baer. I think to all these people he represented hope for the future, because that was something no one had at this time. He was an example of someone who had gone through the worst circumstances and was able to come out of them, and that was the inspiration that he installed in everyone who supported him.