Reminder :

1. Reminder: • You are expected to complete the novella by next Monday • We will be talking about characters and elements of the book today but no major spoilers will be revealed. Please don’t ruin the book for others if you are already finished! I will hurt you! FYI:

2. Introduction to… Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

3. About the Author: Biography John Steinbeck • was born Feb.27 1902 in Salinas, CA • Grew up working summers on nearby ranches with migrants, becoming aware of their harsh lives • Attended Stanford University, but dropped out

4. John Steinbeck’s Work • Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 after a series of other failures • Masterpiece – The Grapes of Wrath about a family during the Great Depression. This epic novel won him a Pulitzer in 1940.

5. STEINBECK’S WRITING • Steinbeck’s stories are based on fact. He wrote what he knew. • His stories are often set in California and focus on detailed descriptions of nature. • Steinbeck is known for humanizing the working class outcast or “loser” archetype.

6. “The Marginalized” in OMAM Race Age Social Class Intelligence Gender

7. Title: Of Mice and Men The title of the novella is adapted from a line in the poem “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”(astray, imperfectly, wrongly) No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it.

8. Chapters • Steinbeck writes his book like a play. Think of the end of a chapter as the lights dimming on the stage and the beginning of each chapter as the lights coming up. • Steinbeck establishes a new setting for each chapter change and he gives the audience a description of this location in the first few paragraphs. • This is also why the chapters are not numbered. They simply indicate scene changes, but it’s all really one long passage.

9. OMAM SETTING: • Salinas Valley, California (Steinbeck’s “backyard”) • Takes place during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl

11. Migrant Workers • Thousands of people migrated to California during this time period for the promise of a better climate, gold and “The American Dream” • Many were disappointed when no jobs were available so migrant farming became popular – men left their families, moving from one farm to another, finding short term work based on the harvest seasons.

13. MAIN CHARACTERS: • GEORGE is a good friend to Lennie • He was small of stature but wiry and well built • He was frustrated with the task of having to take care of Lennie but had compassion and loyalty as well

14. MAIN CHARACTERS: • LENNIEis physically large and extremely strong. • He has an intellectual disability, having the mentality and temperament of a small child. • He is fiercely loyal to and dependent upon George

15. The Intellectually Challenged of the 1930’s • No government programs (and few private ones) established to protect their rights. • Had to rely on friends and family for survival. • Great Depression closed most organizations designed to help. • Stereotypes again flourished that the disabled were unable to fend for themselves. • The alternative for Lennie would have been an “insane asylum” which often made things worse for people with disabilities instead of better.

17. THEMES TO LOOK FOR • The importance of friendship • The struggles of loneliness • The worth and purpose of an individual life • Power struggle between the rich and poor • The importance of independence • Disillusionment (to free from illusion) of the American Dream