Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except each other - and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes, friendship and a shared vision, and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed, OF MICE AND MEN remains Steinbeck's most popular work.
“[George] heard Lennie's whimpering cry and wheeled about. "Blubberin' like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you!" Lennie's lip quivered and tears started in his eyes. "Aw, Lennie!" George put his hand on Lennie's shoulder. "I ain't takin' it away jus' for meanness. That mouse ain't fresh, Lennie; and besides, you've broke it pettin' it. You get another mouse that's fresh and I'll let you keep it a little while."
*
"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to."
*
"You're nuts." Crooks was scornful. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's jus' in their head."
*
She stood in front of Lennie and put her hands on her hips, and she frowned disapprovingly at him.
And when she spoke, it was in Lennie’s voice. "I tol’ you an tol’ you," she said. "I tol you, ‘Min’ George because he’s such a nice fella an’ good to you.’ But you don’t never take no care. You do bad things."
*
“Well . . . tell you what. Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He's alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain't you? Always scrappy?”
*
"Well, we ain't got any," George exploded. "Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool." Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn in with terror. "An' whatta I got," George went on furiously. "I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time."
John Steinbeck, widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in American literature, enjoyed a comfortably middleclass upbringing in and around Salinas, California. The son of a schoolteacher and a local politician, Steinbeck spent his summers as a young man working on nearby ranches and migrant farms—an experience that provided him with the material for some of his most famous works, including Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. Steinbeck studied literature at Stanford but failed to graduate, and in 1925 moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer. He struggled to publish, and returned to California in 1928, where he and his wife lived humbly while receiving financial support from Steinbeck’s parents throughout the Great Depression. Steinbeck published his first novel, Cup of Gold, in 1929, and in the 1930s hurtled to success as a chronicler of both California’s history and its contemporary struggles through fiction and nonfiction. The anti-capitalist, pro-worker sentiments of his major works—most prominently displayed in The Grapes of Wrath—made Steinbeck a controversial figure who drew the ire of the CIA, the IRS, and J. Edgar Hoover. The winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature, Steinbeck has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame and his work is hailed to this day for its realism. (LitCharts)
YouTube - John Steinbeck's speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1962
BBC Bitesize: Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression
In 1928 the new Republican president Herbert Hoover confidently stated, 'We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land.' Within a year, all the confidence had ended, and America was plunged into the Depression.
History.com - The Great Depression
The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939, and was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed.
Britannica School High - Culture and Society in the Great Depression
For people in the United States, the 1930s was indelibly the age of the Great Depression. Bank panics destroyed faith in the economic system, and joblessness limited faith in the future. The worst drought in modern American history struck the Great Plains in 1934. Windstorms that stripped the topsoil from millions of acres turned the whole area into a vast Dust Bowl and destroyed crops and livestock in unprecedented amounts. As a result, some 2.5 million people fled the Plains states, many bound for California, where the promise of sunshine and a better life often collided with the reality of scarce, poorly paid work as migrant farm labourers.
Map of the Worst-Hit Places During the Dust Bowl and Farmer's Migration Routes
History.com - Dust Bowl facts and summary
The Dust Bowl refers to the drought-stricken Southern Plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms during a dry period in the 1930s. As high winds and choking dust swept the region from Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed across the entire region. The Dust Bowl intensified the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression and drove many farming families on a desperate migration in search of work and better living conditions.
Library of Congress - Voices from the Dustbowl
Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection is an online presentation of selections from a multi-format ethnographic field collection documenting the everyday life of residents of Farm Security Administration (FSA) migrant work camps in central California in 1940 and 1941.
History.com - Last Hired, First Fired: How the Great Depression Affected African Americans
While no group escaped the economic devastation of the Great Depression, few suffered more than African Americans, who experienced the highest unemployment rate during the 1930s.
Video SparkNotes: Quick and easy Of Mice and Men synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and themes in the novel.
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This series of four clips explores the context, characters, themes and writing style of Steinbeck's popular classic.
Presenter led and supported by dramatised sequences and direct quotations from the novel.
Of Mice and Men: Context and Background Understanding John Steinbeck's influences and life experiences as well as the economic and social landscape of America in the 1930s will help readers to better understand the events and themes in Of Mice and Men. This clip sets the scene for the novel by providing a brief overview of the causes and impact of the Great Depression, and how it shaped Steinbeck's values and writing. Ideal for introducing the novel prior to reading.
Of Mice and Men: George, Lennie and Curley's Wife This analysis provides insight into characters George, Lennie and Curley's wife, how they are shaped by their circumstances and environment and how this influences their choices. It identifies their key traits and flaws, hopes and dreams, and the role each plays in the tragic unfolding of the plot. Examples of language choices used to reveal each character are given. This is a clear and easy to follow examination of characterization in Of Mice and Men.
Of Mice and Men: Strength and Weakness in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck provides readers with a multi-layered, thought-provoking examination of strength and weakness. Physical, intellectual and emotional strengths and weaknesses are central to plot and character development throughout the novel. This clip looks specifically at how this theme is conveyed through the characters and interactions of George, Lenny, Curley, Curley's wife, Crooks and Slim.
Of Mice and Men: Steinbeck's Writing Style Steinbeck is renowned for his unique literary style and ability to portray characters with authenticity and poignancy. This clip explores his use of poetic imagery, metaphor, slang, phonetic dialogue and tone. Examples of flashback, foreshadowing, and dramatic irony are given. The purposes behind and impact of Steinbeck's narrative choices are considered. This is an excellent resource to help students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the writer's craft.