© boardworks ltd 2003 1 of 17 of mice and men – introduction & section one for more detailed...

© Boardworks Ltd 20031 of 17

Of Mice and Men – Introduction & Section One

For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.

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Unit introduction

In this unit we will be looking at the novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck.

The book is divided into six sections, and for each section you will be completing a variety of activities to develop your understanding of the text.

Before we start looking at the novel itself, it will be useful to explore some of the background of John Steinbeck, his work and its historical and social context.


Author information

Name: John Steinbeck

Dates: 1902 – 1968

Career: Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, and many of his novels are set in this part of America. Before his career as a writer began, Steinbeck worked as a construction labourer and a caretaker.

His first novel Cup of Gold was published in 1929. Of Mice and Men was published in 1937. His most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath came out in 1939. Many of his books, such as East of Eden also became films. In 1962 John Steinbeck was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature.


The Great Depression

The 29th October 1929 was known as ‘Black Tuesday’ in America. The huge crash of the stock market sounded a final death knell to the prosperity that had characterised the United States throughout the 1920s, and signalled the start of ‘the Great Depression’.

Unemployment rose from around 3% in 1929 to over 26% by 1934. Many of the poorest members of American society suffered badly, and at one point it was estimated that 34 million men, women and children had no income at all. This crisis in the American economy forms the background to many of Steinbeck’s novels.


The social context

The Grapes of Wrath deals with a group of people known as the ‘Okies’. These were migrant workers who left the dust bowl of Oklahoma when their crops failed. They travelled to California, in search of work and ‘the American Dream’, the hope of a bright new future in the West.

The Okies were badly treated, and many of them died on the journey, or starved to death after arriving in California, the ‘land of plenty’. John Steinbeck was deeply affected by their plight. Much of his work deals with the poor treatment of such workers, and the way that society mistreats its poorest people.


The political context

John Steinbeck’s writing is at times deeply political. He felt a strong connection with the underdog, and in his work he suggested ways that society could improve the lot of migrant workers such as the Okies.

In The Grapes of Wrath, perhaps his most political novel, the Okies try to set up unions, so that they can force the landowners to pay them a decent wage. This political stand is extremely unpopular with the rich landowners, and those who join unions are blacklisted.


Test yourself!


Extension work

Complete the following tasks to develop your understanding of the background to Of Mice and Men:

find out more about America during the Great Depression

complete some background reading by looking at Steinbeck’s other short novels, for instance Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony

find out more information about John Steinbeck’s life and work.


Plot summary exercise – section one

Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:

Two men, called George and ____________ make their

way down to a clearing beside the ___________ River.

They are heading to a _____________ to find work.

Lennie has a dead ___________ which he likes to

stroke, but George makes him throw it away. They

warm some __________ on a fire and Lennie asks

George to tell him about the house and land they are

going to own one day.

Lennie

Salinas

ranch

mouse

beans


Setting the scene

Re-read the first two paragraphs of the book.

Steinbeck sets the scene by describing the natural world. Find quotations from this section to replace the pictures below.

River

Trees

Mountains


Describing George & Lennie

Re-read the description of George & Lennie in the third paragraph. Steinbeck describes the two characters with great care, so that the reader gets a strong image of them right from the very start of the book.

Look carefully at how the two men are described. Add your own ideas / useful quotations about George and Lennie on the next two slides.


Describing George

Small, with sharp features


Describing Lennie

Complete opposite of George


Find quotations on the second and third page that describe Lennie using characteristics normally associated with animals.

Why do you think Steinbeck describes Lennie in this way?

What happened to George and Lennie that meant they had to leave Weed?

Why do you think Lennie likes hearing the story about the ranch so much?

Describing Lennie


George and Lennie’s relationship

Re-read the conversation between George and Lennie from Lennie drinking the water until they start to talk about supper. You could do this in a group of three, reading George / Lennie / the narrative.

Find two examples of Lennie acting like a child.

Why does Lennie like the mouse?

Why is George worried about Lennie?

Why do you think George stays with Lennie?


The American Dream

One of the major themes in the book is ‘The American Dream’, the hope of creating a better life. Look at the story about their farm that George and Lennie share. How does this story relate to ‘The American Dream’? Add your ideas to the image below.

They could work for themselves


Foreshadowing

What is foreshadowing?

A subtle hint about something that will happen later in the book.

Often a signal that warns of danger for one of the characters.

A way of creating anticipation and tension for the reader.

A way of making the reader want to find out what happens next.

Look at the end of Section One. Can you find an example of foreshadowing here? What do you think might happen later on in the book that is being hinted at here?

© boardworks ltd 2003 1 of 17 of mice and men – introduction & section one for more detailed...

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