Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck Where

Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck

Where does the title of the story come from? Robert Burns – farmer and poet Wrote a poem to a mouse after he accidentally messed up her nest when he was plowing his field

Of Mice and Men But Mouse, you are not alone, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often askew, And leaves us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!

John Steinbeck Born in Salinas, California in 1902 Grew up working on ranches Wrote many novels about the hardships of poor farmers and ranchers during the Depression era Won a Pulitzer Prize for his most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath about a poor family trying to survive during the Great Depression

Setting Place: Soledad, California Time: 1930’s – during the Great Depression

The American Dream What is your idea of the American dream?

The Great Depression Discovery Education American History: America’s Economy: Sorrow and Hope

Plot Two best friends, George and Lennie, are looking for a job on a ranch as workers Lennie has a mental disability and George helps take care of him and look out for him They have a dream of one day buying a farm of their own together

Characters

Lennie Mentally disabled Relies on George to help guide and protect him Physically very large but he acts like a child He is gentle and kind, but does not understand how strong he is He loves petting soft things such as small animals

George Lennie’s best friend who takes care of him Small, wiry, and smart Pretends that his life would be easier without Lennie around, but he really cares about him

Candy An old ranch hand who works at the same place as Lennie and George He is missing his hand Offers his life savings to help buy the farm that Lennie and George dream of owning one day

Curley Son of the boss who owns the ranch Small and arrogant, always trying to prove himself Very possessive of his new wife Mean and aggressive

Curley’s Wife The only female in the story She isn’t given a name She is flirtatious with the men She is very lonely and dreams of a better life

Crooks An African-American who works at the ranch with Lennie and George He has a crooked spine which is how he got his nickname, Crooks He is lonely and isolated from the others because of the color of his skin He also wants to live on the farm that Lennie and George plan on buying

Slim Highly skilled mule driver at the ranch Very smart and insightful The other men look up to him and respect his opinion

Other Characters Carlson: a ranch hand The Boss: Curley’s dad and owner of the ranch Aunt Clara: Lennie’s kind aunt who cared for him until she died Whit: a ranch hand

Themes Loneliness: many of the characters feel alone or isolated from other people Friendship: the importance of friendship and what it means to be a true friend The Impossibility of Achieving the American Dream: how difficult it is for people to actually reach their dreams

Symbols George and Lennie’s Farm: the American dream of being free and living a happy life Lennie’s Puppy: represents the power strong people have over the weak Candy’s Dog: represents what happens to people or things when they no longer have a purpose