1. Historical Context of Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck,
1937
Put kids in groups. Groups discuss and “take notes” on inquiry questions—then share with class.

2. setting
Time: @
Place: Soledad, Salinas Valley, Monterey County
Conflict: Great Plains migrants seeking work
Insert picture of map

8. Salinas, California
Central California Coast (West of Monterey, East of Fresno, South of San Jose)
Economy: “Salad Bowl of the World”, vineyards, cattle ranches
Within 20 miles of the Pacific

9. Steinbeck’s Family and Influences
Parents = educated
Dad moved “West” after civil
war & bought land
Mom read to him as child:
King Arthur, The Bible,
Treasure Island
Loved nature, observed
man’s relationship to
the land

10. Steinbeck’s Childhood
Grew up in Salinas
Work on cattle ranches as teen
Worked on farms as a college student
Saw lives of itinerant workers first hand

11. The Depression
Published his 1st book 2 months before the stock market crash

12. Time:
The Great Depression begins on October 24, 1929 with the stock market crash

13. Inquiry Question
What would be an affect of the stock market crash for wealthy people?
For average people?

14. By January 1933, unemployment reached 14,597,000.

15. Inquiry Question: How is this graph related to the previous one of the stock market crash?

16. Inquiry Question: What does this photo say about the Great Depression
Inquiry Question: What does this photo say about the Great Depression? How is it ironic?

18. The land had been over-farmed for decades, then drought that began in the early 1930s that created even more issues on the Great Plains.
Inquiry Question: What is the effect of overworked and moisture poor land?

19. As a result of drought and over-farming, the soil was dry and unanchored with crops. Great dust storms (literally) erupted several times. One even traveled from the Midwest to Washington D.C.

22. “Last weekend was the worst dust storm we ever had
“Last weekend was the worst dust storm we ever had. Many days this spring the air is just full of dirt coming, literally hundreds of miles. After we wash dishes and put them away, so much dust sifts into the cupboards we must wash them again before the next meal.
-Ann Marie Low, from Dust Bowl Diary

23. After the soil was eroded, rain did as much damage to the land as the wind storms.

24. In South and Great Plains hundreds of thousands of people were evicted from their homes and farms because of the economy or drought.
Hooverville

26. Inquiry Question
What was the total affect of the “Dust Bowl” on the farmers? What do you think your reaction would have been?

27. Hoovervilles
Many evictees lived in random towns of tents and shacks made of cardboard, tar paper, scrap wood or metal called “Hoovervilles”.

28. living in shacks made of
Here were all these
people living in old,
rusted-out car bodies
There were people
living in shacks made of
orange crates. One family with a whole lot of kids were living in a piano box.
--a visitor to a shantytown outside of Oklahoma City
Dorthea Lange--photographer

33. Migration
Approximately two million men—many who had left families behind—wandered the country, hitching rides on the box cars of railroads (Hobo) and sleeping under bridges.
Soon Families began to leave as well

36. Great migrations started out of towards the West and Northwest.

40. Inquiry Question
In what ways did migrating to California give people hope?
In what ways were their hopes crushed?

41. Itinerant Workers
Salinas Valley used itinerant labor (Hispanic, Japanese, white) before the Depression
Labor market flooded afterward
Steinbeck saw these people working himself on ranches and farms

45. Itinerant Homelife

46. Inquiry Question
What is the result of a flooded labor market?

47. Labor Clashes Wages dropped Unfair working conditions
Over-abundance of labor
Increased use of technology

48. Inquiry Question
As a writer, how do you think Steinbeck makes his story so real and authentic?

49. Steinbeck’s Résumé
Steinbeck watched hundreds of people from the Great Plains and South migrate to CA looking for work.
He wrote articles for newspapers on the itinerant workers while writing Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.
He lived in Hoovervilles and traveled across the country with them.
Once in California, he literally lived the life of an itinerant farm laborer.

50. Why Read the book?
An accurate portrayal of the lives of itinerant workers of the Great Depression
Demonstrates history of labor vs. employer
Shows loss of the small, family owned farms and growth of vast, corporate farms

51. Summary
Write a minimum 6 sentence summary of the information in this PowerPoint and class discussion. Include specific information and vocabulary. Write your summary in context, no as a list of facts, dates, and/or definitions.