John Steinbeck One of The Great American Writers of the 20th Century www.staugustinechs.ca/.../Introductory_lesson_for_Of_Mice_and_Men_ENG3C1.ppt

A Look at the Author Born February 27th in 1902 in Salinas, California, John was the 3rd of 4 children, and the only son. During his childhood, Steinbeck learned to appreciate his surroundings, and loved the Salinas countryside and the nearby Pacific Ocean; it would be this appreciation that would later come out in his writing Steinbeck worked during his summers as a hired hand in nearby ranches

At the age of 14 he decided to be a writer and spent a lot of time writing in his room In high school, Steinbeck did well in English and edited the school yearbook 1919-1925 Steinbeck attended Stanford Uni- versity to please his parents, but only chose courses that interested him, classical and British Literature, writing courses and the odd science course. However, Steinbeck did not receive a degree because he would drop in and out of school, sometimes to work with migrant and bindlestiffs on California ranches

In 1929, he published his first novel, Cup of Gold In 1930, Steinbeck married Carol Henning, and they moved into his family’s home. His father helped support the struggling couple, but unfortunately, they divorced in 1942. In 1935, he won his first literary prize, Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian for his novel, Tortilla Flat. In 1936, Of Mice and Men was published, and was so widely accepted that Steinbeck began a book tour that led him to Europe.

The Great Depression

Many found being broke humiliating. 1929-1939 Stock market crash Didn’t realize the effect it would have No money to replenish what was borrowed Many found being broke humiliating.

The Roaring 20’s The new concept of “credit” People were buying: Automobiles Appliances Clothes Fun times reigned Dancing Flappers Drinking

Why was this bad? Credit system WWI People didn’t really have the money they were spending WWI The U.S. was a major credit loaner to other nations in need Many of these nations could not pay us back

The Stock Market People bought stocks on margins Stocks fall If a stock is $100 you can pay $10 now and the rest later when the stock rose Stocks fall Now the person has less than $100 and no money to pay back

With people panicking about their money investors tried to sell their stocks This leads to a huge decline in stocks Stocks were worthless now People who bought on “margins” now could not pay Investors were average people that were now broke And then….

Herbert Hoover was president at the start Philosophy: We’ll make it! President Hoover Herbert Hoover was president at the start Philosophy: We’ll make it! What He Did: Nothing The poor were looking for help and no ideas on how to correct or help were coming

Farmers were already feeling the effects What about the people? Farmers were already feeling the effects Prices of crops went down Many farms foreclosed People could not afford luxuries Factories shut down Businesses went out Banks could not pay out money People could not pay their taxes Schools shut down due to lack of funds Many families became homeless and had to live in shanties

Many waited in unemployment lines hoping for a job.

People in cities would wait in line for bread to bring to their family.

Some families were forced to relocate because they had no money.

“Hooverville” Some families were forced to live in shanty towns A grouping of shacks and tents in vacant lots They were referred to as “Hooverville” because of President Hoover’s lack of help during the depression.

Hooverville

Out of the Dust: The South and the Dust Bowl

A drought in the South lead to dust storms that destroyed crops. “The Dust Bowl”

The South Was Buried Crops turned to dust=No food to be sent out Homes buried Fields blown away South in state of emergency Dust Bowl the #1 weather crisis of the 20th century

Riding the Rails

The Fields of Salinas, California

Historical Background to Migrant Workers Before technology created farm machinery, humans had to do a lot of the farm work by hand. Between the 1880s and the 1930s thousands of men would travel the countryside in search of work. Such work included the harvesting of wheat.

Migrant workers cont’d These workers would earn $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and shelter. During the 1930s, the unemployment rate was high in the U.S., and with so many men searching for work, agencies were set up to send farm workers to where they were needed. In the novel, George and Lennie (the two main characters) were given work cards from Murray and Ready’s, which was one of the farm-work agencies.

Other Themes: Treatment of the Mentally Handicapped

The End