1. JOHN STEINBECK & OF MICE & MEN

2. Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He was educated at Stanford University, which he attended from 1919 to 1925 without taking a degree. He was married 3 times. He died in 1968 from heart disease. Books were written in the 1930’s and were set in California. “Because Steinbeck popularized and immortalized his native region of central California, it is frequently referred to as Steinbeck Country, a place that represents both the positive and the nightmarish aspects of the American Dream.” - Abby Werlock Steinbeck worked as a journalist and a casual laborer before becoming an author. BIOGRAPHY: WHO WAS JOHN STEINBECK?

3. Steinbeck was deeply concerned with the plight of poor farmers and migrant workers. Steinbeck was also concerned with the evils perpetrated on the land, and contemporary environmentalists celebrate his works as they relate to these matters. Steinbeck honored the dignity of all life and the human ability to survive various setbacks. Steinbeck's theory of “group man”: the individual is revealed by his relationship to the group rather than in isolation. Most of Steinbeck’s works explore seriously the lives of resilient and tough working-class people. BIOGRAPHY: WHO WAS JOHN STEINBECK?

4. “My whole work drive has been aimed at making people understand each other…” “Boileau said that Kings, Gods, and Heroes were the only fit subjects for literature. The writer can only write about what he admires. Present day kings aren’t very inspiring, the gods are on vacation, and about the only heroes left are the scientists and the poor…and since our race admires gallantry, the writer will deal with it where he finds it. He finds it in the struggling poor now.” IN HIS OWN WORDS: STEINBECK SPEAKS

5. Climate changes turned large areas of the American West into a wasteland of dried up farms. Many farmers lost their farms and were forced into Migrant labor. CONTEXT: THE DUST BOWL MIGRANT WORKERS Numbers swelled by the thousands in the 1930s. So many workers were available that work was scarce. Farmers and migrant workers were very poor and most were forced to live a lonely life without family.

6. CONTEXT: THE DUST BOWL Much of the work was temporary, so they could seldom settle in one place for very long. Migrant workers earned $2.50 to $3.00 a day, plus food and very basic accommodations. Agencies were set up under the New Deal to send farm workers where they were needed. George and Lennie get their work cards from Murray & Ready, one of these agencies.

7. TITLE “Of Mice & Men”… Comes from a Scottish poet, Robert Burns: The best plans can go wrong and bring grief/pain instead of joy. ABOUT THAT TITLE: OF MICE & MEN The best laid plans o’ mice and men Often go awry And leave us naught but grief and pain For promised joy

8. OF MICE & MEN: THEMES Idealism vs. Realism—the contrast between our hopes/dreams and Reality. This ties in with a theme of Tragedy as Steinbeck paints a bleak picture that seems destined to end in failure. Companionship vs. isolation—the difference between having someone to support you and being alone. This is part of: Steinbeck’s “Group Man” theory—the individual is revealed not in Isolation, but in his relationship to the group/other people. Lennie & George stand out because they have each other, and that bond Sets them apart and influences their relationships with others. Human Nature—no matter how bad their own lives are, characters still pick on weaker characters Innocence—Lennie not understanding racism or hatred Discrimination—racist treatment of Crooks, treatment of Curley’s wife, treatment of Lennie’s handicap, treatment of Candy’s age

9. OF MICE & MEN: THEMES Steinbeck’s Version of the American Dream—a lot of Steinbeck’s Works focused on a recurring theme in 19 th and 20 th century American literature and society—the American dream. In Steinbeck’s works, that dream is almost always linked to the security of owning your own home/land. This became something Of an epic quest for the migrant workers, Okies, and hoboes of the Great Depression/Dust Bowl. Lennie & George’s plan to get their Own place is the common quest of displaced folks like the “exodusters” of the Dust Bowl to find a “promised land.” Plight of the working class—Steinbeck’s work almost exclusively Focuses on the poor, working class and their struggle to survive As well as their resilience in the face of countless setbacks.