Of+Mice+and+Men



AUTHOR BIOSKETCH

John Steinbeck, (1902-1968), was born and raised in California. He found his passion for reading and writing from his mom, who was a school teacher, and his inspiration for writing about California and the migrant farm workers from working on local farms and ranches in the summers of his youth. He was married three times, divorced twice, and had two children. His father helped to support him in the early years of his writing by allowing him to live in a cottage, rent-free, and providing him with supplies.

He wrote several novels, many of which were critically acclaimed, as well as articles for local newspapers. In addition to writing, he also served as a war correspondent during WWII and was the narrator for a television movie in the 1960s. While being recognized for literary mastery, Steinbeck's writing also received harsh criticism for his negative portrayal of New Deal policies. Despite this, his novel The Grapes of Wrath won the Pulitzer Prize and Steinbeck was eventually awarded the Nobel Prize four years before his death of heart disease.

// "The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement. //

// Furthermore, 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. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally-flags of hope and of emulation." // // ~ John Steinbeck, from his acceptance speech at the Nobel Banquet //

HISTORICAL CONTEXT The novel is set during the 1930s in California. There were several issues facing the country, most notably the Great Depression, and the Plains and West as well as several years of drought brought about the Dust Bowl.

Black Tuesday, the infamous October day in United States history when the stock market plunged precipitously, is said to have been a major catalyst for the Great Depression. The aftereffects of this event led to bank failures, business and factories closing down, and unemployment at up to 25% at times in the decade following it.

Mother Nature didn't help either with those in the Plains states: after suffering several years of drought, major wind storms rolled through the Plains, destroying farms. Known as the Dust Bowl, this caused many of the farmers to migrate West in hopes of finding work. California, with its balmy weather, promised longer, more productive seasons. However, jobs were not as abundant as people hoped and many migrants had to be turned away at the borders. Those who were hired faced lower wages because there were more workers.

Promising stronger plans for recovery, Franklin Roosevelt was elected into the Presidency in 1932, taking office in January of 1933. Within the next several years, the government worked to "provide relief through programs of agricultural and business regulation, inflation, price stabilization, and public works." Many of these programs, like the FDIC which secures banks, and the SEC, which moderates the stock exchange, are still in effect today. In addition to these programs, the government enacted various legislation in an attempt to protect workers as well as established the social security system. These programs were all part of Roosevelt's New Deal.

Go to these sites for more information on the Great Depressionand migrant farmers.

CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS **__George Milton__** is short, thin, and weary from taking care of Lennie for so long. While he can be short-tempered and sometimes downright mean, in his heart he truly cares for Lennie. He dreams of having his own land and working it for himself, not having to answer to anyone for anything.

George reminds me of Aaron Hotchner, a character on //Criminal Minds//. The show focuses on the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, which this character runs. He is a serious character, weary from having to watch over his team and his job of profiling serial killers. Just like George, he struggles with the responsibility watching over others and keeping them safe but he won't give in to the desire to just be selfish and focus only on himself.

__**Lennie Small**__ is big and simple-minded. He adores two things in life: George Milton and anything soft, specifically rabbits. He works hard with singular focus on anything George tells him to do. Naive to most of what goes on around him, he is unaware of his own strength. He also dreams of having a farm for himself, though only because he wants to tend rabbits for himself.

Lennie reminds me of a character from a book by Dean Koontz: Thomas. While he has Down's Syndrome, Koontz writes several chapters from his perspective, giving him words that he wouldn't be able to vocalize. Thomas can tell when his sister is upset, even when she is pretending to be otherwise and can sense when bad things are going to happen. I think Lennie also is able to grasp things internally, like when George is angry with him or when a place is bad, but he isn't able to process it the way other people do.

**__Slim__** is self-assured and respected, in charge of the workers on the ranch. He has an air about him that encourages others to trust him and open up to him.

Jethro Gibbs, a character on NCIS, has a similar personality to Slim. This character is the leader of a team of investigators, so he is responsible and respected. He also has the ability to make people open up to him with his mere presence, just like Slim seems to have when he's with George.

**__Curley__** is the son of the ranch owner, short, wiry, and a fighter. Having won several boxing titles, he is always looking for a fight, especially with big guys in order to prove himself.

Curley reminds me of Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series. Threatened by Harry's fame, Draco constantly antagonizes Harry and his friends to try to prove his "superiority" like Curley picks on Lennie to prove he's stronger.

**__Curley's Wife__** is lonely and flirtatious, often coming around the men for conversation. Considered pretty by most, she is disappointed she media type="custom" key="11920906" align="right"never achieved her dream of becoming an actress. She will lash out when she feels hurt.

"Regrets" by Ben Folds Five speaks of the choices and events throughout life that we sometimes look back on and regret. I think Curley's wife is disappointed to be married to a man who is so insecure, distrustful, and mean, and regrets settling for him. I also think she regrets not becoming an actress because her mother wouldn't let her.

**__Candy__** is a lonely, old ranch hand longing for friendships that last rather than the workers who come and go so often. Affectionate for his dog, he regrets not having the strength to be there at the end with him.

**__Crooks__** is the African-American, disabled stable hand. Lonely and bitter from being isolated from discrimination, he possesses a drive to improve himself as evidenced from the dictionary in his room. He possesses a cruel streak but ultimately longs for friendship and belonging.

Crooks reminds me of Elphaba from //Wicked//, a novel by Gregory Maguire and Broadway musical. Wicked tells the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West we all know from the Wizard of Oz came to be known as that, what happened to her in her youth. Because she is green, she is often treated horribly but always yearns to find someone to love her.

Dominant Element Analysis