JOHN STEINBECK OF MICE AND MEN BACKGROUND
STEINBECK—HIS LIFE AND WORKS STEINBECK—HIS LIFE AND WORKS BORN IN SALINAS, CALIFORNIA (1902) FIRST THREE BOOKS WERE FINANCIAL FAILURES FIRST SUCCESSFUL BOOK = TORTILLA FLAT (1935)
MASTERPIECE = THE GRAPES OF WRATH ABOUT A FAMILY DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION WON A PULITZER PRIZE IN HE BEGAN WRITING BECAUSE HIS MOM, A TEACHER, READ CLASSICAL LITERATURE TO HIM. ATTENDED STANFORD UNIVERSITY; LEFT WITHOUT A DEGREE. STEINBECK’S LIFE CONTINUED HENRY FONDA IN THE GRAPES OF WRATH STANFORD UNIVERSITY
STEINBECK’S LIFE CONTINUED LIVED IN MIGRANT CAMPS TO WORK AND ASSOCIATE WITH THE PEOPLE ABOUT WHOM HE WROTE. PERSONALITY—SHY, SHUNNED PUBLIC ATTENTION. MIGRANT CAMP IN CALIFORNIA IN 1930s
STEINBECK’S WRITING HIS STORIES ARE BASED ON FACT. OFTEN SET IN CA AND FOCUS ON NATURE WITH DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS. HE HUMANIZED THE WORKING CLASS OUTCAST OR “LOSER.”
STEINBECK’S WRITING CONT. ALLEGORICAL WRITING (USES OF SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE). HE WAS INTERESTED IN RAISING THE AWARENESS OF People ABOUT INJUSTICE IN SOCIETY.
THE NOVEL: OF MICE AND MEN
PLACE SETTING A SMALL RANCH NEAR THE SALINAS RIVER IN CALIFORNIA MIGRANT WORKERS DURING THE DEPRESSION
THE GREAT DEPRESSION (1930s) TIME OF GREAT DESPAIR—PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, HOMES, SECURITY, AND THEIR HOPE. TIME SETTING
“SHACK HOUSE” IN CALIFORNIA DURING THE 30S
TIME SETTING Environmental Problems The Dust Bowl: dust storms in the Great Plains caused many to move from their homes to California. Vast droughts and flooding. DUST STORM IN S. DAKOTA CAR ESCAPING STORM
EFFECTS OF A DUST STORM
TIME SETTING MORE PROBLEMS ROOTLESSNESS AND POVERTY WERE WAYS OF LIFE. 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 GENRE—HISTORICAL FICTION/NOVELETTE WRITING STYLE— CONCISE, REALISTIC LANGUAGE CHARACTERS ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH SPEECH AND ACTION RATHER THAN THE AUTHOR TELLING YOU THEIR THOUGHTS.
THEMES A. FRIENDSHIP: What Are benefits challenges of friendship? B. LONELINESS: How does loneliness affect one’s life? C. DISCRIMINATION D. DISILLUSIONMENT WITH THE AMERICAN DREAM E. MISFITS-How are people treated who don’t fit in with ideas of success in US?
CHARACTERS GEORGE PHYSICALLY SMALL SMART LENNIE’S CARETAKER LENNIE PHYSICALLY BIG MENTALLY CHALLENGED DEPENDENT ON GEORGE
SOURCES library.thinkquest.org/ TQ /Dustbowl.html /DustBowl.jpg resources/climate/ principal---federal-re...