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John Steinbeck and Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck and His Books. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902 and died in NYC in 1968. His most famous books were written in the 1930s and 1940s , and are set in California. Novels deal with the lives and problems of working people.

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John Steinbeck and Of Mice and Men

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  1. John Steinbeck and Of Mice and Men

  2. Steinbeck and His Books • John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902 and died in NYC in 1968. • His most famous books were written in the 1930s and 1940s, and are set in California. • Novels deal with the lives and problems of working people. • Many of the characters in his books are migrants who went to California looking for work or a better life.

  3. Setting of OMaM • Set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where John Steinbeck grew up. • Steinbeck's father owned land in the area, and as a young man Steinbeck had worked as a farm hand. • The countryside described at the beginning of the book, and the ranch itself, would have been very familiar to John Steinbeck.

  4. A Novella OMAM is a novella: a work of fiction of intermediate length; shorter than a novel, yet longer than a short story. It was also written as a play by Steinbeck.

  5. The title of the novel comes from a poem titled “Of A Mouse” by Robert Burns. This stanza is included in the poem “The best laid schemes o’ mice and men Often go wrong And leave us nought but grief and pain For promised joy!” What predictions about the story can you make based on the poem? Of Mice And Men

  6. Migrant Workers • Farmers in the time of the dust bowl, who picked up everything they had and moved to California. They would travel in search of work. They moved their because of the diverse climate and longer growing season. They had to be out in the sun all day picking crops. Most stayed in migrant camps with other migrants where it wasn’t the cleanest conditions either.

  7. Migrant Workers • Main characters are George and Lennie, two migrant farm workers who are chasing ‘The American Dream’ • Lennie is mentally disabled; George looks after Lennie

  8. Mental Disabilities in the 1930s Signs/Symptoms • Infant like behavior. • Decreased learning ability. • Unable to meet the markers in intellectual development. In the 1930s… • A lot of discrimination against people with mental retardation. • Most were sent to Mental Institutions to become isolated from society. • The people who were sent there most of the time caused no harm-- They were sent because of being different. • Society didn’t know how to handle them with proper care. NOW…. • Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. • This act gives civil rights protections with individuals who have disabilities.

  9. The American Dream • Since beginning of America, families and individuals have come here to find a new life. • In OMAM, we will see how despite these issues, the characters still hope for a better life.

  10. Themes to look for • Friendship • The (Im)Possibility of the American Dream • Loneliness versus Loyalty • Oppression • Nature • Violence

  11. Important Literary Elements • Plot • Characters • Theme • Foreshadowing • Symbols • Imagery

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