Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck The
“Of Mice and Men” By John Steinbeck
The Book • Of Mice and Men (OMAM) was originally called Something That Happened. • At first this was suppose to be a book for children. Steinbeck told a friend he was experimenting with a new “dramatic form”. • In May 1936, he wrote a manuscript, but his puppy ate it! • He said of the book: – “It is an experiment and I don’t know how successful. ” 9/9/14
The setting in Of Mice and Men • The novella (short novel) is set in the farmland of the Salinas Valley, where John Steinbeck was born. • The ranch in the novella is near Soledad, which is south-east of Salinas on the Salinas river. 9/9/14
Salinas Valley, California where Steinbeck grew up. During the summer, Steinbeck worked here as a ranch hand.
It is the Salinas Valley and life on the land that he captures in his novels and inspires the world.
This is the original cover for the book in 1937. Looking at the cover what do you think it might be about?
Big deal! I hate reading my English books. So why should I read this book?
There are several reasons why you should read this book. Let us try & persuade you.
Reason 1: This book is cool!
Megadeth have a song called “Of Mice and Men” on their “The System Has Failed” album.
Reason 2: THIS BOOK IS OFTEN CENSORED Even though Of Mice and Men is considered an American classic. It is one of the most banned books in American schools.
Constantly this book is complained about by parent groups in America. So what makes the book so controversial?
It is banned because of its language: Examples: Son of a b**** Whore Bastard The “n” word
Of Mice and Men is controversial because of the way it depicts women
The book is also censored because the characters are rough & tough ranch hands. They spend most of their free time drinking alcohol and visiting prostitutes in what is known as a “cat-house”.
Reason 3: Of Mice and Men is only around 100 pages long. An easy read!
Reason 4: Of Mice and Men has a great story. It is suspenseful with a shock ending.
It’s about dreams, friendship, loneliness & violence.
Reason 5: Reading some books makes you a better person and this is one of them!
Before we read here is a little background information about farm life in America in the mid 1930 s. Farm life today!
Before the 1930 s, farm life was booming in America. Farmers were trying to cash in on the biggest crop of the day: wheat!
With the invention of better tractors, farmers could go crazy plowing the land. And they did.
In those days they didn’t know a lot about soil conservation. When the crops failed year after year because of drought there was nothing holding the soil in place.
What happens to loose dry dirt in a big wind?
DUST! Dust!
The Prairie winds made many dust storms
Black Sunday April 14, 1935. The dust storm that turned day into night. Many believed the world was coming to an end.
Imagine trying to live in these conditions. The dust storms lasted from 1931 -1939
Farmers and their families had to leave
They had to sell everything
They took to the road. Where would they go?
California had great farmland no dust. They would migrate to California
Description : Oklahoma Migrant family looking for work in the pea fields. California. 1935
Women tried to look after their families while the men looked for work
Many farm laborers and ranch hands traveled the roads in search of work in California.
These are the types of characters Steinbeck writes about = Migrant Workers
Why Migrant Workers? • Before technology created farm machinery, humans had to do a lot of the farm work by hand. • Such work included the harvesting of wheat and barley. 9/9/14
Migrant Workers • These workers would earn $2. 50 or $3. 00 a day, plus food and shelter. • During the 1930 s, the unemployment rate was high in the U. S. , and with so many men searching for work, agencies were set up to send farm workers to where they were needed. • In OMAM, George and Lennie (two main characters) were given work cards from Murray and Ready’s, which was one of the farm work agencies. 9/9/14
During the time Steinbeck was writing Of Mice and Men, it was a difficult time for America. It was the time of The Great Depression.
The Great Depression 1929 -1940 s • In 1929, Wall Street crashed • Unemployment rose • Crop prices fell • Banks closed (w/o refunding $) • Things turned around when U. S. joined the war (jobs appeared). 9/9/14
The American Dream • “Life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. ” • You can be successful if you work hard and live morally. • People work hard to get more material items (nice cars, fancier homes, etc. ) • Others say the American dream is living a simple, fulfilling life. 9/9/14
The American Dream cont… • The Dream assumes equality of opportunity, no discrimination, and freedom to follow goals. • George and Lennie dreamt of having a “little house and a couple of acres and live off the fat of the land. ” • How much does it cost today to live the “American Dream”? http: //www. usatoday. com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/07/04/america n-dream/11122015/ 9/9/14
The American Dream cont… • Is it possible? http: //money. cnn. com/2014/06/04/news/econo my/american-dream/ 9/9/14
What is a Bindlestiff? A hobo, especially one who carries a bedroll. 9/9/14
- Slides: 54
