Of Mice and Men By: John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born in 1902 He grew up in California, where he sets most of his books. He went to Stanford University but left before getting a degree. Two other major works are In Dubious Battle and The Grapes of Wrath which focus on the laboring class (just like Of Mice and Men). He won a Nobel Prize in 1962. He died in 1968. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: New York: Penguin Books, 1993.

Summary The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two California workers during The Great Depression of the 1930s. George, the novel’s protagonist finds himself and his developmentally challenged friend, Lennie, a job on a farm after having to flee the town of Weed due to Lennie being falsely accused of rape. George has looked after Lennie ever since the death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara. Their ultimate dream is to have their own farm and to live off the land and not be dependent on any other workers. As soon as their dream becomes a real possibility the ultimate tragedy happens; Lennie ruins their dream when he kills their bosses son’s wife by snapping her neck on accident. George takes matters into his own hands and shoots Lennie to spare him a torturous death by their bosses son.

The major themes of the novel are: Empathy: the ability to understand someone and their actions and/or feelings. Readers are able to empathize with George murdering Lennie, because it is understood that George and Lennie can never have a secure life due to the poor conditions during The Great Depression. The Laboring Class/The Impossibility of the American Dream: working class people during The Great Depression who face hardships and unfair life situations due to their social status. Friendship: George and Lennie have the ultimate bond. They are both friends and George also serves as Lennie’s guardian which causes many conflicts in the novel.

Lesson The overall lesson of the book is that our place in life, and situations in life are often dictated to us by society and its emphasis on class, race and gender. Pictures of The Great Depression of the 1930s.

Question: What role does empathy play in how I treat others? Book Analysis Question: What role does empathy play in how I treat others? Answer: The protagonist of the novel, George, has empathy for his friend Lennie who is developmentally challenged. George decides to take care of Lennie, and in the process they become very close. George understand Lennie and why he does things. He understand that when Lennie accidentally kills mice or puppies, it is because he does not understand his own strength. He also understands that Lennie could not survive on his own, and decides to help him. Question: How do I handle others’ points of views? Answer: In the novel, Curley has a hard time empathizing with Lennie, and takes advantage of his disability by starting a fight with him. George and Lennie try to ignore Curley and show him Lennie is a good worker, despite what he thinks of Lennie. Overall, Lennie must defend himself against Curley, and his point of view does not change but gets worse when Lennie kills his wife. He does not understand Lennie’s disability and that Lennie cannot get the care he needs in the economical condition to ensure safety.

LNHS Curriculum The novel Of Mice and Men needs to be in the tenth grade English curriculum at Loy Norrix High School. It teaches empathy, which is a theme designated to sophomores in Michigan by the Department of Education. It introduces students to dialect, which will serve an important role later in their high school careers. It is a novel with cross-curricular ties to History, Science and Mathematics.