1. Of Mice And Men
by John Steinbeck

2. The Great Depression Set during the Great Depression
an era in America (and the rest of the world) in which there was great poverty.
it followed the Stock Market crash in 1929 and lasted until about 1939 (after the Second World War had begun)
it was made worse by a terrible drought in parts of America, which destroyed a lot of crops.

3. What was so bad about the Great Depression?
Millions of people were out of work
In those days there were no state benefits so without work you would starve
People had to travel around the country to find work, sometimes living in tents or in old cars

4. John Steinbeck Born in 1902, died in 1968
Grew up in Salinas Valley, California
Very concerned with the lives of poor people
Won the Nobel Prize for his writing
Many of his books were banned in schools in the US because of their subject matter

5. “Of Mice and men” Why this title?
It comes from a poem by Robert Burns. In the poem, Burns sees a mouse making its nest in straw. The mouse is making a lot of effort, but it can’t see the harvester approaching. Burns says: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

6. Structure
The novel follows a simple chronological structure. There are no flashbacks, for example. The novel begins on a Thursday night and ends on the following Sunday. One of the key things about the novel is its simplicity.

7. Form The action is mainly related through dialogue.
Steinbeck intersperses scenes of quiet (the clearing in Chapter One, the barn in Chapter Five) with scenes of dialogue. The book is very dialogue-heavy, which means it works well as a radio play.

8. Dialogue
The dialogue is colloquial, showing a realistically as possible the way the ranch hands talk. This makes the writing more realistic and vivid.
Note, as well, that people sometimes say things that they don’t mean – for example, when Candy praises Crooks’ room or Crooks’ describes his room as ‘swell’ or when Curley’s wife calls her husband a ‘swell guy.’ The effect of this is ironic.

9. Humour
There is a limited use of humour in the book, most of it coming from Lennie and the things he says. For example, the exchange between Lennie and George about coloured rabbits. These moments make sure the book is not completely grim and keep it realistic.

10. Language
Almost as a mirror to the simple language used by the ranch hands, Steinbeck keeps his own description in the book very simple. This simplicity mirrors the lives in the book.
He also does not speak directly to the reader giving his own point of view. Steinbeck’s style here is to show life as it is and leave us to make our own judgements.

11. Form
The use of the third person, without a narrative voice passing judgement or guiding the reader, gives the reader a feeling of being a fly on the wall. Inner thoughts are only indicated through speech and action. Only once in the novel are we given a look at anyone’s private thoughts – when Lennie hallucinates at the end.

12. Themes Dreams and plans
Many of the characters in the novel have dreams and plans for the future. George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all aspire to something. For these characters, it is these dreams which keep them going. Remember that the title of the novel is taken from a Robert Burns poem which says; ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice and men often go wrong.’

13. Themes Friendship and loneliness
Friendship and loneliness
George and Lennie are unusual because they ‘string along together’, even though their friendship is threatened by Lennie’s behaviour. The other characters tend to be alone, isolated, because of their lifestyle.

14. The American Dream

15. The American Dream…
… is the idea that if you work hard enough you will succeed, whatever your background. People coming to the United States were coming from countries (like England) where success depended much more upon your background. In the “old countries” people were born with wealth and status, they didn’t earn it.