1. The Great Depression The Author The American Dream Salinas Valley
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902.
Although his family was wealthy, he was interested in the lives of migrant workers or farm labourers and spent time working with them.
He used his experiences as material for his writing.
Steinbeck believed every “honest bit of writing” has a “base theme”. The theme of his writing is; “Try to understand each other.”
Steinbeck has empathy for common people – he understands their loneliness, joy, anger and strength, their connection to places and their craving for land.
Empathy - the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation.
The Great Depression
On October 4th 1929, millions of dollars were lost in the Wall Street Crash.
It led to The Great Depression in America from
People lost their savings when banks went bust, and million people – one third of America’s population – were unemployed.
There was not enough food and people couldn’t pay their rent so some ended up in settlements built from anything they could find.
Many people left the cities to find work as ranch hands (farm workers) but they were lucky to find work.
They were grateful for a bunk-house to live in and to have food provided, even though the pay was low.
Many families lived in their vehicles as they could not afford money for petrol.
The American Dream
When the first settlers arrived in America it was seen as a land of new opportunity.
As it was a ‘new world’ it was seen as a place where everybody was equal and had the opportunity to be successful.
The American Declaration of Independence in 1776 stated:
“All men are created equal, they (have) certain rights; life, liberty (freedom) and the pursuit of happiness.”
Salinas Valley
The Salinas valley where Steinbeck lived and the novel is set is in California.
It is rich, fertile land about 25 miles from the Pacific coast.
Many people believed there was ‘free’ land available in California. They hoped to claim their own piece of land.
What they got there, all the land was gone and they had nothing.
Ranch Hands
Ranch hands (farm workers) were lucky to find work.
They were grateful for a bunk-house to live in and to have food provided, even though the pay was low.
Many workers dreamed of owning their own piece of land – a place they could settle and call home.

2. ‘Of Mice & Men’ Social and Historical Context
Social and historical context is:
What is _____________ in the author’s __________ and his/her society at the time a ____________ is _____________. It often affects what he or she writes about.
novel happening written life
Read the information about Steinbeck and the 1930s. Use this to help you answer the questions below:
Where was John Steinbeck born?
What type of place was this?
Steinbeck has ‘empathy’ for common people. What does this word mean?
What happened in October 1929?
How many people were left unemployed after this event?
What was life like for people at this time?
What is a ‘ranch hand’?
America is known as the ‘land of ’.
What did many workers dream of owning?