Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Context

The American Dream

The American Dream: Everyone has a dream to strive for. The poor ranch hands wish to be their own bosses, and actually have stability in their

lives.

The American Dream

The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states:

"The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve the fullest stature of which they are capable of, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the circumstances of birth or position."

Steinbeck• John Steinbeck was

born in 1902 in Salinas, California. As a teenager, he spent his summers working as a hired hand on neighbouring ranches. He studied intermittently at Stanford University and he left without earning his degree.

Questions

• 1. What aspects of his life has Steinbeck included in ‘Of Mice and Men’?

• 2. Can you name another writer that included aspects of his life in his work?

• 3. A/A*: What does that suggest about American writers and the subjects they chose to write about?

Steinbeck

• After University, he worked as a reporter and caretaker, and first earned critical acclaim with his novel Tortilla Flat, published in 1935. In 1962, he won the Nobel prize for literature.

Nobel Prize for literature acceptance speech

• In his Nobel prize acceptance speech he said “ … the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit-for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. … I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectability of man has no dedication or any membership in literature.”

Question

• According to Steinbeck, what is the role of a writer? (put in your own words).

• Does he do this in ‘Of Mice and Men’? Say how.

California Wanderers

• Steinbeck’s best known works deal intimately with the plight of desperately poor California wanderers, who, despite the cruelty of their circumstances, often triumph spiritually.

• 4. In the novel, who are the wanderers and do they triumph?

The background to the novel

• Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 and Steinbeck won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath.

• Steinbeck sets Of Mice and Men against the backdrop of Depression-era America. The economic conditions of the time victimized workers like George and Lennie, whose quest for land was thwarted by cruel and powerful forces beyond their control, but whose tragedy was marked, ultimately, by steadfast compassion and love.

The History of Migrant Farmers in California

• After WW1, a recession led to a drop in the market price of farm crops, which meant that farmers were forced to produce more goods in order to earn the same amount of money. The stock market crashed in 1929, and by 1933 unemployment peaked at 25%.

Okies

• The increase in farming activity across the Great Plain and drought caused fertile land to become desertlike. Hundreds of thousands of families packed their belongings and headed to California, which seemed like a promised land. Migrant workers became known as ‘Okies’ as many were from Oklahoma. Okies were often met with scorn by California farmers and natives, which only made their dislocation and poverty even more unpleasant.

Further Reading: A/A*

• The Grapes of Wrath