Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck (1937)

Setting Set during the Great Depression in the 1930’s Starts beside a stream, close to the Salinas River

(few miles south of Soledad, California); the surrounding land is thick in vegetation and has its own wild life. Men frequent it, this is evident by the leftover piles of ashes and the limbs of the sycamore tree are smooth from the men who sat on it

Moves to a ranch (major part of the story occurs here); isolated and lonely. Includes a ranch house, a bunkhouse, a barn, and a harness-room off the barn.

Setting comes back to where it started at the end of the novel

Soledad, California

Salinas River, California

About the author:John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck (1902 – 1968) was one of the greatest social novelists in the history of the United States. His work often dealt with rural poverty in the American West, more specifically, California, during the years of The Great Depression. Born in the small agricultural town of Salinas, California, Steinbeck felt a personal affiliation with the migrant workers and poor farmers who would come to populate his novels. In fact, during his high school years, Steinbeck spent his vacations working on local farms and ranches.

Steinbeck, however, always planned to be a writer. He attended Stanford University, but did not graduate. He later moved to New York, where he failed in his attempts to become a working freelance writer. Upon returning to California, Steinbeck discovered his artistic calling: creating naturalistic and socially aware novels that expressed and humanized the plight of rural California. Of Mice and Men (1937) was his first critical and commercial success. It was followed in 1939 by his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath.

Other notable works include East of Eden (1952), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), and Travels with Charley (1962), a chronicle of Steinbeck’s three-month trip across forty states with his poodle Charley.

In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature. After his death, the New York Times said of Steinbeck’s legacy: “…it lives on in the works of innumerable writers who learned from him how to present the forgotten man unforgettably.”

Characters George: a ranch hand; friend and caretaker to Lennie, a “short”

man. Lennie: a ranch hand; friend to George; “simple minded”; a

“big fellow.” Candy: a “stoop shouldered old man.” The Boss: superintendent of a big land company. Curley: The Boss’s son; “alla time pickin’ scraps with big guys.” Curley’s Wife: a “tart.” Slim: a “big, tall skinner” who “stands and moves with a kind

of majesty.” Carlson: a “big-stomached, powerful” ranch hand. Whit: a ranch hand. Crooks: a “lean-faced Negro with pained eyes.”

Characters in movies, plays, books, and stories have a basic similarity. They all have OBJECTIVES.

An objective is: SOMETHING A CHARACTER WANTS, NEEDS OR DESIRES throughout the story. They usually spend the entire time pursuing this objective.

Each character in Of Mice & Men has an OBJECTIVE as well. What is the primary desire of the following characters?

George: Lennie: Candy: The Boss: Curley: Curley’s Wife: Slim: Crooks:

California in the Depression

Migrant workers 1936

Toward Los Angeles, California. 1937. Photographer: Dorothea Lange. Perhaps 2.5 million people abandoned their homes in the South and the Great Plains during the Great Depression and went on the road.

Migrant Workers What are Migrant Workers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV1QifYVu14

American Migrant Workers - 1936

* FACT They are people who might be born in another country, state or city and travel to work in another

place.

* FACT Unlike regular workers, migrant workers usually work in labor-intensive jobs (farm work or

construction for example), get paid in cash, and have little other benefits such as a retirement fund or medical insurance. They certainly don't work at a desk with a computer and phone!

* FACT In the past, migrant workers, such as George and Lennie, would literally move to wherever the

work was, therefore they would have no fixed home address. Today, this is less true, but the work is still hard!

* FACT By the time that Of Mice and Men was published almost half of America's grain was harvested by

huge combine harvesters. In other words, 5 men could do what would have taken 350 men a few years earlier. George and Lennie are some of the last of the migrant farm workers.

* FACT Huge numbers of men travelled the countryside between the 1880s and early 1930s harvesting

wheat. They earned $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and very basic accommodation.

* FACT During the 1930s, when there was very high unemployment in the United States, agencies were

set up under the Government's New Deal to send farmworkers to where they were needed. George and Lennie got their work cards from Murray and Ready's, one of those type of agencies.

Social Aggression & the American Dream Of Mice & Men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LznxnuVaG8o

For many victims of the Depression, the struggles of day-to-day life were almost too much to bear. They needed something larger to turn to for inspiration. Many of these Americans turned their hopes and faith towards The American Dream.

The American Dream: the faith or belief that the United States holds unlimited opportunity for anyone, regardless of background, race, religion, or economic status. The American Dream suggests that anyone who is born in or comes to the United States has a chance to achieve high levels of prosperity and happiness.

Each character in Of Mice and Men is driven by a very specific objective: something they want, need or desire; something they work towards or strive for. These objectives are responsible for the actions of the character. Everything a character does within the novel can be traced back to his or her objective. In Of Mice and Men, many of these objectives are directly connected to The American Dream.

The American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that anyone from any background, race, religion, creed or economic standing can be born in or come to the United States and make it all the way to the top.

Bill Gates dropped out of college to write software because he had an idea that one day every home would have a personal computer. Now he is one of the richest and most powerful men on the planet. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest philanthropic organization in the world.

Oprah Winfrey started life on a poor farm, and eventually grew to be one of the best known and most respected journalists in the country, as well as being an actress and running her own company.

All of the characters in Of Mice & Men are after their own American Dream.

Can you think of what that dream is for each character?

The American Dream Ask the following people what their American Dream is, and write it in the space provided. One of your Parents: ____________________________________________ One of your Grandparents: _______________________________________ Your Aunt or Uncle: ____________________________________________ A Neighbor: __________________________________________________ One of Your Teachers: __________________________________________ Your Sibling: _________________________________________________ Your Best Friend: ______________________________________________ You: ________________________________________________________

Compare the answers you received. How are they different? How are they the same? Why do you think they vary?

Social Aggression: actions and behaviors directed at damaging another’s self-esteem, social status, or both. Social Aggression can take the form of facial expressions (including the rolling of eyes and other looks of disgust), gossip and the spreading of rumors, bullying, verbal and/or non-verbal exclusion, or the manipulation of friendships and other relationships.

One of the most important causes of social aggression in Of Mice and Men is The Great Depression. During the Depression, employment opportunities were increasingly rare, so workers were forced to travel from town to town in search of the next job. They were unable to start families and settle down. Workers who did get married struggled to keep their families together. Saving enough money to buy a home of one’s own was virtually impossible on a migrant worker’s salary. Racial segregation was still a widespread policy, and the economic collapse only heightened racial tensions.

EXERCISES

The American Dream

Research the ways in which The American Dream has changed over the years for different groups of Americans. These links can help you get started:

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/moneymatters/a/baddream.htm http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/650704_The_America

n_Dream.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4265454.stm

a. In what ways has The American Dream changed since Of Mice & Men? What social and economic factors have caused those changes?

b. How does The American Dream differ for different groups of Americans?

c. How did Martin Luther King, Jr. interpret The American Dream? Is his interpretation related to the hopes and dreams of the characters in Of Mice & Men?

d. Are there any characters from Of Mice & Men who you believe are capable of going on to achieve The American Dream? Why or why not? Provide examples from the text to support your answer.

e. Do all citizens of the United States have equal opportunity to achieve The American Dream today? What social and economic factors support your argument? Do Americans today have greater access to The American Dream than Americans during the Depression?

Social Aggression

a. What acts of social aggression have you seen in your school and community?

b. What role did the school or community environment play in those acts of aggression? What role did economic factors play? What role did social pressure play? Were there other factors that somehow impacted the situation?

c. List three major causes of social aggression in your life. Are any of these causes similar to the causes of social aggression in Of Mice & Men?

d. What are some ways people attempt to establish dominance and authority over you in your everyday life?

e. Has anyone ever taken out their anger with something else out on you? Write a letter to someone who has done this to you. Explain how his or her actions made you feel. Suggest some other ways this person might deal with his or her anger.

f. Have you ever taken your anger out on someone who is not responsible for it? Write a letter to someone you have done this to. Explain why you might have done this.

g. What are some alternatives to social aggression? Are there ways to address and respond to the causes of social aggression without attempting to damage someone else’s self-esteem or social status?

Economics

In Of Mice and Men George could buy a little house with a small bit of land for $600. He says, “ain’t enough land so we’d have to work too hard. Mebbe six, seven hours a day.”

Today the average price for a home in California is $548,000.

The average price for a home in the United States is $264,000.

Calculate:

What is the percentage of increase to own a home in the United States from 1937 to the present day?

What is the percentage of increase to own a home in California from 1937 to the present day?

Data

In Of Mice and Men George says a “guy can make a couple of dollars a day” at the American River. In 1937 this was a good salary.

George also says, “if me and Lennie work a month and don’t spend nothing at all, we’ll have a hundred bucks.”

The current (2006) federal minimum wage is $5.15 and has not been increased since 1997.

Calculate

If you had a 40 hr./week job that paid minimum wage, and “work a month and don’t spend nothing at all” how much would you be able to save?

Deduct the following withholding taxes from the same monthly salary: 7.65% medicare & social security, 10% federal, 3% state, 2% city and 3% unemployment tax. What is your monthly salary after withholding?

Deduct the following living expenses from the same monthly salary after withholding taxes: $500 rent, $32 electricity, $80 telephone, $20 gas, $320 groceries.

Are you able to save any money after withholding taxes and living expenses are deducted from the minimum wage salary?

Compare:

Look at the calculations from present day minimum wage salary and living expenses and compare them with what George says about saving money and buying a house.

What conclusion can you draw from this comparison? What does this say about the present day economy?

Activity Sheet Theme

Of Mice & Men focuses on the theme of FRIENDSHIP/PROTECTION. List three examples of how the theme of friendship/protection is illustrated in the plot of Of Mice & Men. Be very specific.

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do these examples connect to the objectives of the characters? Discussion question: What would happen if a story had no theme?

Every play has a THEME. Every book and movie does, too. Theme: the main idea or ethical precept of the play. Theme is the same as topic, subject matter, premise or thesis.

Think about your favorite movie or book. Answer the following questions: Title: __________________________________________________________ What is the theme: _______________________________________________ List examples of how the theme is illustrated:

1. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A Good Plot What is the Inciting Incident in Of Mice & Men? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

List three events in Of Mice & Men that can be considered Rising Action. 1. ___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

What is the Climax in Of Mice & Men? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

What is the Falling Action in Of Mice & Men? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Plot: what happens in a play; the story/stories being told as revealed by what the characters say about themselves or each other; the action of the play.

A good plot… keeps you guessing. A good plot… surprises you. A good plot… will have multiple themes. A good plot… builds on a strong central conflict.