A Brief Introduction to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice

and Men

ObjectivesBy then end of today’s class, I will have a better understanding of:

•The Great Depression and the 1930’s

•The characteristics of a novel

•The historical and literary context of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Great Depression

1929-1939• Stock market

crashed on October 29, 1929– Known as “Black

Friday”• While it was

devastating, most people didn’t realize the effect it would have the country

• One of the biggest problems was that there was no money to replenish what had already been borrowed

Consequently, many people found

themselves broke and humiliated.

To Understand the 1930’s…one must know a little bit about

The Roaring 20’s• The new concept

of “credit” • People were

buying:– Automobiles– Appliances– Clothes

• Fun times reigned– Dancing– Flappers– Drinking

So, why was this bad?• Credit system

– People didn’t really have the money they were spending

• WWI– The U.S. was a major

credit loaner to other nations in need

– Many of these nations could not pay us back

The Stock Market• People bought stocks

on margins– If a stock is $100 you

could pay $10 now and the rest later when the stock rose

• Stocks fall– But when the stock

falls, you have less than $100 and no money to pay back the extra you owe

To Make Matters Worse….• People started panicking about their money, and investors tried to sell their stocks– This lead to a huge decline in stocks– Stocks became worthless virtually overnight

• People who bought on “margins” now could not pay their debts

• Additionally, the “investors” were simply average people – who became very broke people.

And Then there was Hoover….

• Herbert Hoover, who was president at the start of the Great Depression had an interesting philosophy:– Don’t worry, we’ll make it!

• So, here’s what he did to help solve the problem:– Nothing

• The poor were looking for help and had no ideas on how to find it

What about the People?

• Farmers felt the effects nearly immediately

– Prices of crops went down– Many farms foreclosed

• People could not afford luxuries– Factories shut down– Businesses had to close

• Banks could not give people back their money• People could not pay their taxes

– Schools shut down due to lack of funds• Many families became homeless and had to live in

shanties

Many people waited in unemployment lines hoping for a

job.

People in cities would wait in line for

bread to bring to their family.

Some families were forced to relocate

because they had no money.

“Hooverville”• Some families were

forced to live in shanty towns– A grouping of shacks

and tents in vacant lots

• They were referred to as “Hooverville” because of President Hoover’s lack of help during the depression.

And then, came the DUST.

The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl

The South was Buried• Due to severe drought and high wind storms, crops

turned to dust. This meant there was no food to be sent out

• Homes were buried• Fields blew away• The South was in state of emergency• Dust Bowl the #1 weather crisis of the 20th century

Two Families During the Depression

A Farm Foreclosure

California here we come…

• The road taken to California is still we travelled: Route 66

California here we come…

California here we come…

Tough Times…

Tough Times…

Tough Times…

Migrant Workers… on the road again

Migrant Workers… on the road again

Migrant Workers… on the road again

Then, a Hero Emerged from the Dust and Darkness…• When he was

inaugurated unemployment had increased by 7 million.

• Poor sections, like Harlem, had a 50% unemployment rate

• FDR initiated the “New Deal”

What you MUST Remember is…• People everywhere were effected by the

depression• It wasn’t until President Roosevelt took over

and tried to put the economy back together that people even saw a glimmer of hope

Of Mice and Men

a novel by John Steinbeck

A little bit about…Genre •Genre is a French term derived from the Latin genus, generis, meaning "type," "sort," or "kind."

•It designates the literary form or type into which works are classified according to what they have in common, either in structure or in subject matter, or both.

•The study of genres may be of value in three ways:

•On the simplest level, grouping literature into genres offers us an orderly way to talk about an otherwise bewildering number of literary texts.

•More importantly, if we recognize the genre of a text, we may also have a better idea of its intended overall structure and/or subject.

•Finally, a genre approach can deepen our sense of the value of any single text, by allowing us to view it comparatively, alongside many other texts of its type.

The Basics•Of Mice and Men is a novel – a fiction narrative written in prose – that was first published in 1937

•Lennie and George are the protagonists, while Curley, 1930’s society, and the cruel, predatory nature of life serve as the antagonists

•The story is told by a third person omniscient narrator who can access the point of view of any character in the narrative

•The story chronicles the travel of two of Dust Bowl migrants - George and Lenny, who is based on a real person.

•George and Lennie had worked on other farms, but had continuously been fired because of Lenny’s actions.

•They dream of buying their own land and being their own bosses.

A little bit about… The Novel •A novel can be defined as prose fiction over 50,000 words.

•Novels differ from short stories in their length and their emphasis on character development.

•Novels often strive to depict and interpret human character with one or two well-rounded characters.

•Commonly, the a novel’s purpose it to entertain and to give its readers a deeper understanding of life's problems.

•One major characteristic of the novel is realism – a full and authentic report of human life.

•Additionally, novels have a cohesive and believable plot structure, sharply individualized and believable characters, and an inclusive portrayal of reality

The Setting

The Movie

The Author•John Steinbeck

•1902-1968

•Born in Salinas, California

•Enrolled in Stanford University in 1919, but never earned a degree

•Steinbeck worked the fields while in college picking strawberries, lettuce, sugar beets and broccoli

•Published his first book Cup of Gold (1929), received first literary success in his book Tortilla Flats (1935)

•awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962

John Steinbeck

Any Questions?

Please open your books to page one