Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck1902-1968

Style of NovelSteinbeck set out to create a new lit. formSome call the book a “play-novelette”

He developed the charac.’s through speech and action rather than letting the reader in on their thoughtsHe starts each scene with a description of the setting, much like a play is staged around its setsThe action in each chapter follows the pattern of dramaDialogue is used to reveal characters

Language of the novel

Steinbeck’s language in his descriptions of nature is full of imagery and metaphorSince the story is about laborers, it is appropriate that their dialogue is unrefined and realistic

Slang, profanity, and uneducated pronunciationThe coarseness of the language contrasts with the tender motives of the main characters

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 othersReader must draw his/her own conclusionsHelps reader feel the information presented is in a straightforward manner and that no information has been left out

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 backsMany were homeless and wandered the countryside picking up odd jobs

Setting

The place is a small ranch near Salinas River in Cali.

His descriptions of the riverbank and barn scenes contrast with the bunkhouse settingThe natural scenes evoke a sense of beauty and opennessThe indoor scenes evoke starkness and imprisonment

Themes in novel

FriendshipLonelinessIndifference of the worldWorth of an individual

Naturalism

Saw reality as a work of natural forcesOne’s destiny was decided by

HeredityEnvironmentPhysical drivesEconomic circumstances

These things are uncontrollable and help shape who we become and what happens to us

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.

Misc. InfoAll characters are portrayed as either victims or predators except SlimGeorge 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”

John Steinbeck

Born in Salinas, CaliforniaThis was the setting for a number of his works

Went to Stanford University in 1920Attended for four years but did not earn a degree

While there, he took writing coursesPrimary interest in college was in scientific fields, especially marine biology

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

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

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