Steinbeck`s Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck 1902-1968

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 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”

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

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

 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 firsthand 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