john steinbeck of mice and men. john steinbeck born in salinas, california in 1902 spent the...

JOHN STEINBECK

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

Born in Salinas, California in 1902 Spent the majority of his life in

California impact on his writing? Appreciation of Salinas, farm life,

and the nearby Pacific Ocean Worked with migrant workers and

bindlestiffs on ranches in the area during summers between school

His books often deal with the problems of working people Characters in his books are often

people who go to California in search for a better life American Dream

California and Farming, 1930s

Salinas, California

Time Period: Great Depression (1930s)

The Dust Bowl Severe dust

storms damaged ecology and agriculture

Many lost their farms because could not produce crops

People decided to abandon their farms and go in search of work migrant farm workers

Dust Bowl

To a Mouse, On Turning Up Her Nest

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [alone]In proving foresight may be vain:The best-laid schemes o' mice an' menGang aft agley, [often go awry]An' lea'e us nought [leave us nothing] but grief an' pain,For promised joy.

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me!The present only toucheth thee: But, och! I backward cast my e'e [eye] On prospects drear! [dreary] An' forward, tho' I canna [cannot] seeI guess an' fear!

Chapter 1

Description of Salinas: Why does the novel start out in this fashion? (1) Mood? Tone?

Introduction of Lennie & George (2-3) Relationship between the two

friends (11) Character development? Dead mouse (5)

Past Troubles? (7)Literary devices: Dialogue (7)

Describe the dialogue…Major Themes?

Chapter 2

How is social hierarchy shown in this chapter? Crooks description (19-20) Boss description (20) Lennie & George (23-24) Curley & George (25) Candy & Curley (27) Slim (33)

Curley’s wife How is she characterized? Description? “Got the eye”

Are there any ominous signs of the future or a sense of foreboding?

Theme: Strong vs. Weak Dialogue & Character Development

Who are “foils”?

Chapter 3

How do we see the idea of hope vs. hopelessness?

Lennie + George : an archetypal friendship? Where else in pop culture do we see

this? Who describes a situation

where they had a moral awakening?

Portrayal of women What events foreshadow

Lennie’s death?American Dream revisited (59)

Chapter 4

How is Crooks different than the other characters? Childhood “The white kids come to play at our place, an’

sometimes I went to play with them…My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. But I know now” (70)

Where does he live? What does this show? (66)Strong vs. Weak dynamic

How is this seen in the chapter? How does this relate to the overall message of the novel?

Curley’s Wife How is she portrayed?

Major Themes: Isolation, Racism, American Dream

Chapter 5

Lennie’s tragedyIs Curley’s wife a

sympathetic character? What was her “American

Dream”? (88) Fantasy vs. Reality Her corpse was “pretty and

simple…sweet and young” (93)Why do you think George

decides to kill Lennie himself?

George (and Candy’s) realization that the “farm” dream is over… (94, 95)

Chapter Six

Idyllic opening of chapter (99) Repeated references: water

snake, mountains But death is foreshadowed!

(99)American dream lost

What do you think of this tragic ending?

What about Curley and Carlson’s response to Lennie’s death? (107)