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Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men. Joh n Steinbeck. John Steinbeck 1902-1968. Born in Salinas, California near San Francisco. Mother was a teacher, father was in business and served as city treasurer. 2 sisters who were well educated and married into money. Socially they were considered very affluent.

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Of Mice and Men

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  1. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

  2. John Steinbeck 1902-1968 • Born in Salinas, California near San Francisco. • Mother was a teacher, father was in business and served as city treasurer. • 2 sisters who were well educated and married into money. • Socially they were considered very affluent.

  3. Steinbeck Interesting Facts • Won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his most popular piece The Grapes of Wrath. • Nobel Prize for literature for lifetime achievements.

  4. Writing Style • Realistic as well as imaginative, distinguished by sympathetic humor & keen social perception. • Classified as social novels dealing with economic problems of rural laborers. • Gained a reputation for writing about the plight of the ordinary working man particularly during the time of the Great Depression.

  5. Writing Style (continued) • Emphasizes the external forces that bare down on his characters as they struggle for survival. • Conflict between people’s expectations and reality of society. • Belief in human progress & that people can stake out an intellectual or moral claim in their lives despite hardships they suffer.

  6. Of Mice and Men • Story of shattered dreams. • Great Depression & Dust Bowl • Steinbeck worked on farms & ranches during vacations from school. • This work inspired his writing.

  7. Of Mice and Men • Deals with the theme of the inability of the poor to change their lives after becoming trapped by circumstances beyond their control. • Ranch hands George and Lenniedream of one day owning their OWN farm. • George acts a father figure to the simple-minded Lennie.

  8. THEMES & CONFLICTS

  9. THEME- key message or insight into life. • Direct –directly stated, can find the lines. • Implied- suggested through events, words, actions or attitudes of characters. • Universal- relevant to people of almost any time or place.

  10. LONELINESS & ISOLATION • Everyone desires the comfort of a friend. • Helpless by their isolation. • Weak gets destroyed be strong.

  11. FRIENDSHIP • Human companionship for survival. • Desire to come together . • Need and want to protect each other.

  12. FREEDOM • Immune to starvation, old age, weakness. • Independence both physically and emotionally. • From the harshness of the world and of life.

  13. The American Dream • Wish for untarnished happiness. • Freedom to follow own desires. • Cannot be found in this world.

  14. STRENGTH • Need for physical endurance. • Authority over others, self. • Predatory human nature of others. • Survival of the fittest.

  15. CONFLICT • Struggle or problems within the story • Helps to develop plot • Not always resolved

  16. MAN vs. SOCIETY • Self-control • Struggle to gain or keep • Lacking • Nuisance to others.

  17. MAN vs. HIMSELF • Responsibilities to and for others. • Enduring hardships. • Doing the “right” thing.

  18. WHAT TO DO AS YOU READ • Find examples of themes and conflicts in book • Underline or highlight • Be able to explain or defend findings • Save for later assignment

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