1. Of Mice and Men Introduction
English 11

2. About the Author: John Steinbeck
Born in 1902 in Salinas, CA (Not far from the setting of Of Mice and Men)
From boyhood, dreamed of being a writer
Attended Stanford University, but never graduated
His material was often rejected, but he entered a successful decade starting in 1930
Other successful novels: The Grapes of Wrath, The Pearl

3. Of Mice and Men
Set on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s
The first work to bring John Steinbeck national recognition as a writer
Title suggests that the best−laid plans of mice and men often go awry--a reference to Robert Burns's poem "To a Mouse."
Steinbeck conceived Of Mice and Men as a potential play. Each chapter is arranged as a scene, and each scene is confined to a single space: a secluded grove, a bunkhouse, and a barn.

4. Of Mice and Men, cont.
The action in the novel occurs over the course of three days
Two main characters are migrant workers—George and Lennie
Lennie has a mental disability, and George has assumed responsibility of caring for him
They both share the dream of owning their own land and farm someday

5. Agriculture during the Great Depression & Migrant Workers
Migrant Workers—itinerant single men who roamed the western states following the harvests
Many traveled by train, and were given a wage of $2.50 to $3 a day and a “room,” which was often a tent.
By the late 1930s, there were an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 migrant workers—underpaid, underfed, and underemployed
The maximum salary per year= $ 400 Average=$ 300
These “bindle-stiffs” led harsh and sometimes rough lives in search of work
Steady work was impossible

6. Migrant Workers, cont.
Steinbeck wrote movingly about the struggles of these migrant workers—and the “American dream” that they had.

7. Some themes in Of Mice and Men
The American Dream: Lennie and George working toward getting their own land
Mental Disability: Lennie’s mind being one like a child—problems he faces
Friendship and Loyalty: Lennie and George and their loyalty to one another
Race/Racism: The treatment of the stable buck, Crooks
Loneliness: Emotion felt by Curley’s wife, and the migrant workers during that time

8. As we read… You need to keep up with the following:
Reading guides/vocab for each chapter
Journal Entries
Any notes we take

9. Video links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhIhnVCwxrI Audio:

10. Idiom
Definition: An expression whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words that make it up.
Examples from Of Mice and Men:
Bustin’ a gut-
Workin’ up a stake-