Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck

Steinbeck’s Life ◊Born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California (a typical American small town at the turn of the century) ◊He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto intermittently ◊During periods when he was not in school, Steinbeck worked on a ranch and as a laborer in the beet and barley fields of Salinas ◊Born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California (a typical American small town at the turn of the century) ◊He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto intermittently ◊During periods when he was not in school, Steinbeck worked on a ranch and as a laborer in the beet and barley fields of Salinas

Initial History ◊Originally published in 1937 ◊Based on Steinbeck’s own history as a “bindle stiff” in the 1920s A bindle stiff is one who carries one’s own clothes or bedding in a bundle ◊Originally published in 1937 ◊Based on Steinbeck’s own history as a “bindle stiff” in the 1920s A bindle stiff is one who carries one’s own clothes or bedding in a bundle

Critical and Public Reception ◊Steinbeck became a celebrity upon publication of the novel ◊The novel was selected as a Book of the Month Club and over 117,000 copies of the novel were sold before its official publication on February 25, 1937 ◊Steinbeck became a celebrity upon publication of the novel ◊The novel was selected as a Book of the Month Club and over 117,000 copies of the novel were sold before its official publication on February 25, 1937 ◊Critical response was generally positive, although some critics were offended by the roughness of some of the characters and their lives ◊By April 1937, the novel was on the best-seller lists across the country, and continued to be a top seller

The Novel as a Play ◊Steinbeck initially conceived the novel as a play ◊Each chapter is arranged as a scene ◊Each scene has a specific setting: a grove, a bunkhouse, a barn ◊The play was initially produced on Broadway in 1937, the same year as the novel’s initial publication ◊A limited-run revival was also produced in 1974 with James Earl Jones as Lennie

The Title ◊A reference to a Robert Burns poem: “To a Mouse” ◊A line from the poem suggests that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry ◊A reference to a Robert Burns poem: “To a Mouse” ◊A line from the poem suggests that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry

The Novel’s Setting ◊The novel takes place in the migrant farming communities of the Salinas Valley of California during the Great Depression of the 1930s

Thematic Topics in the Novel ◊Idealism vs. Reality ◊Alienation and Loneliness ◊Race & Racism ◊Class Conflict ◊Idealism vs. Reality ◊Alienation and Loneliness ◊Race & Racism ◊Class Conflict ◊Mental Disability ◊Loyalty ◊Friendship and Fraternity

Film Adaptations ◊There have been four major film adaptations ◊1939 with Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lennie ◊1968 with George Segal as George (for TV) ◊1981 with Robert Blake as George and Randy Quaid as Lennie (for TV) ◊1992 with John Malkovich as Lennie and Gary Sinise as George (and also directing) ◊There have been four major film adaptations ◊1939 with Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lennie ◊1968 with George Segal as George (for TV) ◊1981 with Robert Blake as George and Randy Quaid as Lennie (for TV) ◊1992 with John Malkovich as Lennie and Gary Sinise as George (and also directing)

Life During the Great Depression The following images provide a glimpse of the novel’s world

Again the Covered Wagon Taken by Dorothea Lange near Holtville, Imperial Valley (1939)

Arkansas Squatters Taken by Dorothea Lange near Bakersfield, CA

Drought Refuge Encampment Taken by Dorothea Lange near Holtville, CA

Migrant Worker House Cars Taken by Dorothea Lange

Oklahoma Migrant Family In the California pea fields

Squatter Camp Taken by Dorothea Lange

Migrant Workers and their Cars Taken by Dorothea Lange

Migrants

On the Road to California Taken by Dorothea Lange (Feb. 1939)

Sign on US 99 Taken by Dorothea Lange (Feb. 1939)

Scene from a Migrant Camp

Sod House Box Butte, NE

Sources ◊New Deal Network. New Deal Document Library Nov ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Detroit: Gale, ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Internet Movie Database. 03 Jan ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Internet Broadway Database. 03 Jan ◊New Deal Network. New Deal Document Library Nov ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Detroit: Gale, ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Internet Movie Database. 03 Jan ◊“Of Mice and Men.” Internet Broadway Database. 03 Jan