1. John Steinbeck One of The Great American Writers of the 20th Century

2. A Look at the Author
Born February 27th in 1902 in Salinas, California,
John was the 3rd of 4 children, and the only son.
During his childhood, Steinbeck
learned to appreciate his surroundings,
and loved the Salinas countryside and
the nearby Pacific Ocean; it would be
this appreciation that would later come
out in his writing
Steinbeck worked during his summers as a hired
hand in nearby ranches

3. At the age of 14 he decided to be a writer
and spent a lot of time writing in his room
In high school, Steinbeck did well in English
and edited the school yearbook
Steinbeck attended Stanford Uni-
versity to please his parents, but only chose
courses that interested him, classical and British
Literature, writing courses and the odd science
course.
However, Steinbeck did not receive a degree
because he would drop in and out of school,
sometimes to work with migrant and bindlestiffs on
California ranches

4. In 1929, he published his first novel, Cup of Gold
In 1930, Steinbeck married Carol Henning, and they
moved into his family’s home. His father helped support
the struggling couple, but unfortunately, they divorced in
1942.
In 1935, he won his first literary prize,
Commonwealth Club of California
Gold Medal for Best Novel by a
Californian for his novel, Tortilla Flat.
In 1936, Of Mice and Men was published,
and was so widely accepted that Steinbeck
began a book tour that led him to Europe.

5. The Great Depression

6. Many found being broke humiliating.
Stock market crash
Didn’t realize the effect it would have
No money to replenish what was borrowed
Many found being broke humiliating.

7. The Roaring 20’s The new concept of “credit” People were buying:
Automobiles
Appliances
Clothes
Fun times reigned
Dancing
Flappers
Drinking

8. Why was this bad? Credit system WWI
People didn’t really have the money they were spending
WWI
The U.S. was a major credit loaner to other nations in need
Many of these nations could not pay us back

9. The Stock Market People bought stocks on margins Stocks fall
If a stock is $100 you can pay $10 now and the rest later when the stock rose
Stocks fall
Now the person has less than $100 and no money to pay back

10. With people panicking about their money investors tried to sell their stocks
This leads to a huge decline in stocks
Stocks were worthless now
People who bought on “margins” now could not pay
Investors were average people that were now broke
And then….

11. Herbert Hoover was president at the start Philosophy: We’ll make it!
President Hoover
Herbert Hoover was president at the start
Philosophy: We’ll make it!
What He Did: Nothing
The poor were looking for help and no ideas on how to correct or help were coming

12. Farmers were already feeling the effects
What about the people?
Farmers were already feeling the effects
Prices of crops went down
Many farms foreclosed
People could not afford luxuries
Factories shut down
Businesses went out
Banks could not pay out money
People could not pay their taxes
Schools shut down due to lack of funds
Many families became homeless and had to live in shanties

14. Many waited in unemployment lines hoping for a job.

15. People in cities would wait in line for bread to bring to their family.

16. Some families were forced to relocate because they had no money.

17. “Hooverville” Some families were forced to live in shanty towns
A grouping of shacks and tents in vacant lots
They were referred to as “Hooverville” because of President Hoover’s lack of help during the depression.

18. Hooverville

19. Out of the Dust:
The South and the Dust Bowl

20. A drought in the South lead to dust storms that destroyed crops.
“The Dust Bowl”

21. The South Was Buried Crops turned to dust=No food to be sent out
Homes buried
Fields blown away
South in state of emergency
Dust Bowl the #1 weather crisis of the 20th century

23. Riding the Rails

24. The Fields of Salinas, California

25. Historical Background to Migrant Workers
Before technology created farm machinery, humans had to do a lot of the farm work by hand.
Between the 1880s and the 1930s thousands of men would travel the countryside in search of work.
Such work included the harvesting of wheat.

26. Migrant workers cont’d
These workers would earn $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and shelter.
During the 1930s, the unemployment rate was high in the U.S., and with so many men searching for work, agencies were set up to send farm workers to where they were needed.
In the novel, George and Lennie (the two main characters) were given work cards from Murray and Ready’s, which was one of the farm-work agencies.

27. Other Themes: Treatment of the Mentally Handicapped

28. The End