1. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
INTRODUCTION NOTES
Writing Assignment & Discussion Points

2. John Steinbeck
1902 – 1968
Spent teen years working on a CA ranch – the combination of the work and people served as an inspiration for many of his novels.
Wrote 17 novels + stories, plays, and screenplays including:
Cup of Gold (1929), Of Mice and Men (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and Travels with Charley (1962).
Reputation centers around the earlier novels that portray California as the land of American promise, during a time of economic hardship in America, with The Great Depression as a backdrop.

3. Novel Facts Genre: American Fiction / tragedy
Written: mid 1930’s in California / published in 1937
Setting: 1930’s / California
Narration: told from a third person omniscient perspective. The narrator can access the inner thoughts of any character, as required by the story.
Tense: past
Protagonists: George and Lennie
Antagonists: Curley, society
Major Conflicts: Man vs. Man / Man vs. society

4. Of Mice and Men Introduction Writing Assignment & Discussion Points
This novel takes place in a rural CA setting with the Great Depression as a backdrop, filled with migrant workers.
Define what a migrant worker is. Predict what types of hardships you will read about in the novel, based on the setting and what you know about migrant workers. How do you believe this type of setting will help to shape the characters of the novel?
In addition to a critical setting, one of the main characters, George, has taken on the responsibility of caring for Lennie, a full grown adult with the mind of a child.
Imagine how difficult it would be to care for a disabled person. In fact, you may already be someone who has this responsibility in some way. If you are, discuss the challenges and rewards involved in this responsibility. If you are not, predict what this type of lifestyle would be like. In addition, add on the challenge of having to move from place to place in order to survive.