JOHN STEINBECK

OF MICE AND MEN BACKGROUND

STEINBECK—HIS LIFE

AND WORKS

A. BORN IN SALINAS, CALIFORNIA (1902)

B. FIRST THREE BOOKS WERE FINANCIAL FAILURES

C. FIRST SUCCESSFUL BOOK = TORTILLA FLAT (1935)

D. MASTERPIECE = THE GRAPES OF WRATH ABOUT A FAMILY DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION WON A PULITZER PRIZE IN 1940.

E. HE BEGAN WRITING BECAUSE HIS MOM, A TEACHER, READ CLASSICAL LITERATURE TO HIM.

F. ATTENDED STANFORD UNIVERSITY; LEFT WITHOUT A DEGREE.

STEINBECK’S LIFE CONTINUED

HENRY FONDA IN THE GRAPES OF

WRATH

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

STEINBECK’S LIFE CONTINUED

G. LIVED IN MIGRANT CAMPS TO WORK AND ASSOCIATE WITH THE PEOPLE ABOUT WHOM HE WROTE.

H. PERSONALITY—SHY, SHUNNED PUBLIC ATTENTION. MIGRANT CAMP IN CALIFORNIA IN 1930s

STEINBECK’S WRITING

A. HIS STORIES ARE BASED ON FACT.

B. OFTEN SET IN CA AND FOCUS ON NATURE WITH DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS.

C. HE HUMANIZED THE WORKING CLASS OUTCAST OR “LOSER.”

STEINBECK’S WRITING CONT.

D. ALLEGORICAL WRITING (USES OF SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE).

E. HE WAS INTERESTED IN RAISING THE AWARENESS OF ALL ABOUT ALL IN SOCIETY.

THE NOVEL—OF MICE AND MEN

A. PLACE SETTING: A SMALL RANCH NEAR THE SALINAS RIVER IN CALIFORNIA

MIGRANT WORKERS DURING THE DEPRESSION

1. TIME OF GREAT DESPAIR—PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, HOMES, SECURITY, AND THEIR HOPE.

TIME SETTING—THE GREAT DEPRESSION (1930s)

“SHACK HOUSE” IN CALIFORNIA DURING THE 30S

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

(a.) The Dust Bowl—

dust storms in

the Great Plains

caused many to

move from their homes to California.

(b.) Vast droughts

and flooding.

DUST STORM IN S. DAKOTA

CAR ESCAPING STORM

EFFECTS OF A DUST STORM

MORE PROBLEMS

3. ROOTLESSNESS AND POVERTY WERE WAYS OF LIFE.

4. FDR—THE NEW DEAL (INTRODUCED MINIMUM WAGE, WELFARE, SOCIAL SECURITY, WORK CARDS, AND JOB CREATION).

PRESIDENT FDR AT HIS DESK

THE NOVEL’S STYLE OR GENRE

1. GENRE—PLAY-NOVELLETE (CHARACTERS ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH SPEECH AND ACTION RATHER THAN THE AUTHOR TELLING YOU THEIR THOUGHTS.)

2. WRITING STYLE—CONCISE, REALISTIC LANGUAGE

THEMES

A. FRIENDSHIP

B. LONELINESS

C. THE WORTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE—DOES HUMAN LIFE HAVE A PURPOSE?

D. DISILLUSIONMENT WITH THE AMERICAN DREAM

CHARACTERS

GEORGE

• PHYSICALLY SMALL

• SMART

• LENNIE’S CARETAKER

LENNIE

• PHYSICALLY BIG

• MENTALLY CHALLENGED

• DEPENDENT ON GEORGE

SOURCES

library.thinkquest.org/ TQ0312210/Dustbowl.html

www.yankton.net/images/ 091499/DustBowl.jpg

www.usatoday.com/weather/ resources/climate/20...

www.perfecteconomy.com/ principal---federal-re...

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html