Of Mice and Men

1. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck 1902-1968

2. Style of Novel • Steinbeck set out to create a new lit. form • Some call the book a “play-novelette” • He developed the charac.’s through speech and action rather than letting the reader in on their thoughts • He starts each scene with a description of the setting, much like a play is staged around its sets • The action in each chapter follows the pattern of drama • Dialogue is used to reveal characters

3. Language of the novel • Steinbeck’s language in his descriptions of nature is full of imagery and metaphor • Since the story is about laborers, it is appropriate that their dialogue is unrefined and realistic • Slang, profanity, and uneducated pronunciation • The coarseness of the language contrasts with the tender motives of the main characters

4. Point of view • Story is told through third person, objective point of view • Reader is not directly let in on the thoughts of the character or their feelings about themselves and others • Reader must draw his/her own conclusions • Helps reader feel the information presented is in a straightforward manner and that no information has been left out

5. Setting • Time period and physical setting determine the mood and help the unfolding of the plot • The time is during the Depression years, when people had little but the clothes on their backs • Many were homeless and wandered the countryside picking up odd jobs

6. Setting • The place is a small ranch near Salinas River in Cali. • His descriptions of the riverbank and barn scenes contrast with the bunkhouse setting • The natural scenes evoke a sense of beauty and openness • The indoor scenes evoke starkness and imprisonment

7. Themes in novel • Friendship • Loneliness • Indifference of the world • Worth of an individual

8. Naturalism • Saw reality as a work of natural forces • One’s destiny was decided by • Heredity • Environment • Physical drives • Economic circumstances These things are uncontrollable and help shape who we become and what happens to us

9. Title • The title Of Mice and Men is an allusion to a Robert Burns poem titled “To a Mouse” • In the poem, one significant line reads “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.” • Keep this in mind as the story unfolds. Determine for yourself how this relates.

10. Misc. Info • All characters are portrayed as either victims or predators except Slim • George and Lennie are searching for goodness, • for their version of paradise, • yet the laws of nature, the cold realities of an uncaring world, seem to prevent them from attaining their reward • Novel touches on human struggle to reconcile our notions of “what could and should be” and what often “is”

11. John Steinbeck • Born in Salinas, California • This was the setting for a number of his works • Went to Stanford University in 1920 • Attended for four years but did not earn a degree • While there, he took writing courses • Primary interest in college was in scientific fields, especially marine biology

12. Moved to New York in 1925 and for two years was a reporter for New York American • Eventually lost this job because his writings contained more reflection than fact • He held many odd jobs before becoming a writer: a ranch hand and fruit picker were just two of the many

13. Much of his writing during the 1930’s dealt with social issues • Wrote a book about the strike of California fruit-pickers and was then asked to write about the life in the camps of the migrant workers • Researched the articles through first-hand experience

14. Of Mice and Men ( published in 1937) and The Grapes of Wrath both were written after Steinbeck saw the inhumane conditions and hunger the farm owners allowed • Both novels express the dreams and everyday existence of down-on-their luck workers in their own language