reminder : you are expected to complete the novella by next monday we will be talking about...
TRANSCRIPT
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:
Introduction to…
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
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
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.
STEINBECK’S WRITING
A. Steinbeck’s stories are based on fact. He wrote what he knew.
B. His stories are often set in California and focus on detailed descriptions of nature.
C. Steinbeck is known for humanizing the working class outcast or “loser” archetype.
“The Marginalized” in OMAM
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.
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.
OMAM SETTING:
Salinas Valley, California (Steinbeck’s “backyard”)
Takes place during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl
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.
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
MAIN CHARACTERS:
LENNIE is 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
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.
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