John Steinbeck and Of Mice and MenMrs. SnyderNovember 16, 2011

Who was John Steinbeck?

• John Steinbeck was an American writer from Salinas, California (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968).• He was the author of 27 books, including Of

Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden.• He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in

1962.

Steinbeck’s Works

• Many of his writings take place in or around his hometown of Salinas, California.

Steinbeck’s Works

• Many of works take place during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.• His works also include the struggles of American

migrant workers.

The Great Depression

• The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression in the decade before World War II. • The depression originated in the U.S., starting

with the fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929 and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday). From there, it quickly spread to almost every country in the world.

Effects of the Great Depression

• Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33%.• Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices

fell by approximately 60%.

Unemployed men looking for work during the Great Depression.

Hoovervilles, or shacks made from scrap wood and cardboard. These were named after the President,

Herbert Hoover.

Men standing in line for free food during the Great Depression.

The Dust Bowl

• A period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American lands from 1930 to 1936 (in some areas until 1940). • The phenomenon was caused by severe drought

along with decades of extensive farming without crop rotation, fallow fields, cover crops or other techniques to prevent wind erosion.

The Dust Bowl

• During the drought of the 1930s, without natural anchors to keep the soil in place, it dried, turned to dust, and blew away eastward and southward in large dark clouds. At times the clouds blackened the sky reaching all the way to East Coast cities such as New York and Washington, D.C. • These immense dust storms—given names such as

"Black Blizzards" and "Black Rollers"—often reduced visibility to a few feet. The Dust Bowl affected 100,000,000 acres centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and adjacent parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.

The Dust Bowl

• Millions of acres of farmland became useless, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes.• Many of these families (often known as "Okies",

since so many came from Oklahoma) migrated to California along Route 66 where they found economic conditions not much better during the Great Depression than those they had left.• Owning no land, many became migrant workers

who traveled from farm to farm to pick fruit and other crops at starvation wages.

Areas affected by Dust Bowl

A car escaping a cloud of dust.

A farmer observing his fields during a dust storm.

A famous photograph of an American migrant worker with two of her children, by Dorothea Lange.

A young migrant girl.

A migrant camp in Kern County, California.

Setting of Of Mice and Men

• On a ranch in Salinas, California in the 1930’s

Characters of Of Mice and Men• Lennie: A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his

mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection.

• George: A small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie.

• Candy: An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch.

Characters• Curley - The boss’s son, Curley wears high-heeled boots to

distinguish himself from the field hands. Rumored to be a champion prizefighter, he is a confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive young man who seeks to compensate for his small stature by picking fights with larger men.

• Curley’s wife - The only female character in the story, Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only mentioned in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.”

• Crooks - Crooks, the black stable-hand, gets his name from his crooked back. He is isolated from the other workers because of the color of his skin.

Characters• Slim - A highly skilled mule driver and the acknowledged

“prince” of the ranch, Slim is the only character who seems to be at peace with himself. The other characters often look to Slim for advice.

• Carlson - A ranch-hand, Carlson complains bitterly about Candy’s old, smelly dog.

• The Boss - The stocky, well-dressed man in charge of the ranch, and Curley’s father.

• Aunt Clara - Lennie’s aunt, who cared for him until her death.• Whit - A ranch-hand.

Themes of Of Mice and Men

• People’s responsibility for others• Dreams• Friendship• Loneliness and companionship• The American Dream• Strength and weakness