Influential Effects on John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".

Arturo Castillo Jr

ENGL 100
Instructor Walsh
12 August 2009

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Table of Contents

ii

Summary

iii

Final Outline

iv

Introduction

Subtopic One: Political Influence

Illustration

Subtopic Two: Emotional Effects

Subtopic Three: Allegorical Illustrations

Conclusion

11

Works Cited

13

Glossary

15

Index

17

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Summary

In the novel "Of Mice and Men", John Steinbeck incorporated true American history
in his work, much of which he experienced as a reporter, usually involving struggling
characters. His prose was mainly about the poor, migrant workers during the Dust Bowl
and The Great Depression. Steinbeck expressed his moral and political views through
his literature. Though Steinbeck's style of writing addresses a variety of issues, the
following three topics were the ultimate pillars' that influenced the structure of this
powerful anecdote: politics, emotions, and allegories.
After a thorough examination on Steinbeck's techniques and themes, the end results
from this collection exhibits an understanding in the author's attitudes, struggles,
aesthetics, craftsmanship, and political point of view, against issues that he deemed
essential. As Steinbeck resided alongside the history of the 1930's, he developed an
urge to protest against the injustice that society demonstrated towards the poor and
migrants of that era. He wrote "Of Mice and Men" in fictional form, at the same time,
describing the true setting of that period using three major themes.

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Outline

Thesis: In the classic American novel "Of Mice and Men" Thesis: In the classic
American novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, there are three
prevailing themes that influenced his work:politics, emotions, and various
allegories.
I.

Political Influences
A. Steinbeck's political affiliations.
1. Conflicts in the farming industries.
2. His work was banned due to socialist/communist
misinterpretations.
3. Steinbeck's acquaintance with the Roosevelt's.
B. Failed economy and policies during the time of his work.
1. Development of characters in his novel.
2. The threat of agribusiness against the migrant workers.

II.

Emotional effects
A. Discrimination in the sugar ranch and farms of California.
1. Developed sympathy and friendship with minorities.
2. An atmosphere of loneliness in the novel.
3. The inspiration from the Dust Bowl.
B. Steinbeck's trip to Mxico influences his work.
1. Oppression against the indigenous by the elite.

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2. Developed a form of social protest against inequality.

III.

Allegorical Illustrations
A. The use of Cain and Abel in the book.
1. Understanding the acts of a dark hero.
2. A road from guilt to redemption.
B. Different interpretations of his allegories.
1. Cain and George's failures drove them to kill.
2. The road to the promise land.
3. The need to understand the disabled.

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Introduction
In the renowned novel of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses a complex style of
writing in the formation of certain themes. The book displays social conflict, deep
emotions, and many allegorical illustrations. As the study developed deep into
Steinbeck's background, these three themes became the central focus of his
configuration in this narrative during the Great Depression. In this piece, Steinbeck
demonstrates great skill in merging the real setting of his native country with the
thematic structure of his work. This writer demonstrates great significance in political,
emotional, and allegorical subjects that persuaded his arrangement of this tale.
Political Influence
During the 1930's, politics played an enormous role in the evolution of Steinbeck's
writing. As harsh times took their toll on migrant laborers, the government failed to act in
aiding those hardest hit by the Depression and Dust Bowl. During this time, Steinbeck
became involved with groups that protested against the government, while at the same
time aiding struggling families. He would hold meetings in his home, to discuss the
details of the strikes (see Fig. 1). Steinbeck usually had the youth organize the protest's
and minister the needs of migrant families who were dropping by his cottage in Pacific
Grove, California. As Charlotte Cook Hadella states in Bloom's Guide, "Steinbeck was
able to meet people associated with leftist activities and sympathetic to the plight of the
workers" (qtd.in Bloom, "Political Influences on" 61). Most Americans of that era aspired
to own property and land in this great nation, but not as much as the migrants that lived
off the land, to whom it was a necessity. Commercial growers had taken over most of
the farming industry causing widespread conflicts that made it impossible to achieve the

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American dream. This is reflected in the novel by the two main characters George and
Lennie, who long for a small house and some acres, but unfortunately this was to be
impossible due to their finances, and the dilemma Lennie would encounter that would
lead to his death.

Fig. 1. Steinbeck holds a meeting in his home with the leaders of Cannery, Agricultural,
and Industrial Workers Union in 1936.
Steinbeck's style of writing and the subjects of his work gave the impression that he
was in favor of socialism and communism. These ideas can be drawn from three major
pieces that he published in the 1930's:"Tortilla Flat", "Of Mice and Men", and the most
argued "The Grapes of Wrath". In "The Grapes of Wrath", Steinbeck describes the
horrific working conditions and social injustice that poor migrant laborers endured in
California farms. Although he presents the story in fiction, his message was real and

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clear. NW Magazine wrote, "Steinbeck presents our public officials as inhumane

vigilantes, breathing class hatred and divested of sympathy and human decency"
("Travel & History: John Steinbeck" 2). This was a statement issued by one of the
industries wealthy farm owners as a way of defending their business conduct. As
Steinbeck traveled to different cities and farms in central California, he saw signs in
many establishments that read "Negros and Okies upstairs," a clear indication of the
segregation and imbalance in society. It was this injustice against migrants of the 1930's
that inspired these three volumes as a way of social protest against the agricultural elite.
On August 31, 1939 in Kern County, California, five county supervisors voted to ban
Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath". County supervisor Stanley
Abel quoted, "These books are filled with profanity, lewd, foul, and obscene language,
we request that these books be banned from our library and schools" ("John Steinbeck,
1902-1968" 2). This would be the beginning challenges and disputes over Steinbeck's
work in counties all over the U.S. Although the ban was lifted a year and a half later, in
Kern County, the challenge on his work fortified Steinbeck's purpose in making the
point of migrant abuse.
Steinbeck's success reached the White House making Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt close friends and advocates of his work. Robert Gottlieb writes, "F.D.R would
press hard in federal expenditures for social purposes under the New Deal, for a
massive economic increase" ("The Rescue of John Steinbeck" 4). The President's
efforts were easily approved by Congress for fear that the values of communism would
evolve in the U.S. over time. Many strike organizers were beginning to preach the
advantages of communism amongst migrants trying to win their support. Steinbeck's

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Biography asserts, "CAIWU leaders would support the effort in the struggle to bring
communism to California" ("John Steinbeck's Biography" 3). Steinbeck was by no
means communist; however, his views of social justice were commonly misinterpreted
by the wealthy who took advantage of the poor. He was labeled as a propagandist and
a socialist from both the right and left side of the political spectrum because of his
affiliations with socialist and communist labor organizations. The most fervent attacks
came from the Associated Farmers of California; they were displeased with his works'
depiction of California farmers attitudes and conduct towards the migrants. Although
Steinbeck was accused of exaggerating the true conditions in the farms to make a
political point, he in fact, did all the opposite by not describing in full detail the true
circumstances of the farms and ranches. Owens states, "Underplaying the conditions
that he well knew were worse than the novel describes because he felt that an exact
description would be in the way of his story" (qtd. in Bloom, "The Dream of" 79). In 1962
the Nobel Prize committee, aside from all the dilemmas, cited that Steinbeck's fictional
realism would be one of the main reasons for his nomination of the Nobel Prize for
literature.
In addition, the failed economy and policies that he saw during these years affected
the moral of the workers and the owners of the industry, painting the perfect scene in
this novella. Steinbeck's experience with multi-national labor forces exposed him to a
variety of dialects, customs, and characters all of which became material in his fiction.
As Steinbeck interacts among the migrant workers, he begins to see the differences in
culture, national origin, language, and the constant psychological effects of their
situation. He encounters a great sense of oppression in the labor force, as if the workers

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had been stripped of their valor by the ranch owners. Charlotte Cook states, "working
for wages in industrialized agriculture normally conferred membership in an unhappy
fraternity whose cohering force was a kinship of powerlessness" (qtd. in Bloom,
"Political Influences on" 62). In the novel Steinbeck features barley buckers, a
bunkhouse hand, a mule skinner, a stable buck, and a lonely woman, all resembling the
"unhappy fraternity." Due to the failed economy, the tension between Curley's father,
the ranch owner, and the workers, was a reaction to the tough times. The workers were
embezzled of their rights as a result of failed policies.
By 1936, the year Steinbeck wrote "Of Mice and Men", technology seemed to
threaten the little job security that migrants were left with. Charlotte Cook reveals,
"Mechanical technology enabled 5 men to do the job of 350 who were responsible for
half the nation's grain harvest by 1938" (qtd. in Bloom, "Political Influences on" 62). By
the twentieth century, employment in California's large scale agriculture had come to
mean irregular work, low wages, horrific working and living conditions, social isolation,
and emotional deprivation without concern from the farming monopoly. As Steinbeck
experienced the iniquity through the eyes of his migrant acquaintances, the message in
his work was fiction in real form. The failed economy, tension between owner and
workers, and cautious characters in the novella give an authentic taste true to the
historical details of the actual setting. His message would not include names or
organizations, but his point in shedding light on the unscrupulous conditions, would be
well noted by the enraged wealthy agricultural businesses.

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Emotional Effects
Although politics played an important role in the development of "Of Mice and Men,"
an atmosphere of deep emotions is displayed in the books formation ("Literary Timeline"
1). When Steinbeck worked as a laborer in the sugar ranches of Salinas, he interacted
with racial minorities and began to understand their struggle as laborers and farmers.
He became good friends with many of them and this turned into sympathy for their
cause. "He became aware of the harsher aspects of life, and of the darker side of
human nature" ("Literary Timeline" 2). He understood that the discrimination and the
second class citizen treatment of these people developed into a distant relationship
amongst Americans, a relationship that would eventually divide the struggling farmers
and laborers. This is why Curley, his wife, and Candy all played lonely characters in the
book. Crooks' rejection, because he was black, represented the racial separation of that
era. Steinbeck became very fond of these consumers of inequality, enough to portray
them in his work.
This novel contains many lonely characters. Steinbeck chose to brilliantly describe
the theme of man's isolation and need for commitment. In the story, Curley's wife longs
for attention from anyone who will give it to her, even from a dumb giant like Lennie.
Crooks, because he is black, is cast out by the rest of the ranch hands to live in the barn
separate from the cabins. Candy is a useless old man who seems segregated from the
rest of the crew, representing the elderly in society that are thought to be futile. Louis
Owens implies, "One of the themes is that men feel loneliness, that they need someone
to be with and talk to who will offer understanding and companionship" (qtd. in Bloom,
"The Dream" 145). The story takes place in Soledad, California which is a real dusty

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little town on the western edge of the Salinas River. Like most of the settings in
Steinbeck's fiction, this place really exists. As Steinbeck grew familiar with the Spanish
culture and it's language, his use of "Soledad" which in English it translates to "solitude"
or "loneliness", seems quite fitting. In this distant, isolated country George and Lennie
would meet the end of their journey towards the dream that would never come to exist.
In 1936, a writer and photographer by the name of Horace Bristol was trying to write
a book on migratory labor and would later attempt to convince Life to run a photo essay
when the book was published. He invited Steinbeck so that he would run the text of the
book along with Bristol's pictures. They would drive down to the Central Valley,
wherever the camps were set up or there was news of labor difficulty. At the time, the
wealthy farmers were running flyers telling about all the wonderful jobs and good
working conditions in California. Of course, it wasn't true. Bristol implies, "It was raining
a lot of the time and these people were actually living in mud" ("Travels with Steinbeck"
2). This angered Steinbeck, who was in the process of finishing "Of Mice and Men", and
served as inspiration for "The Grapes of Wrath". As they went around the migrant
camps, Steinbeck lead the way. Bristol stated, "He had a wonderful way with people,
and they opened up and talked to him" ("Travels with Steinbeck" 3). Unfortunately,
Californians in those farming communities were not sympathetic. Most of these labor
workers came from their own farms destroyed by the dust bowls, penniless and starving
with families to support and feed. Bristol answered with great sadness, "They thought
the migrants were lazy, they believed this was God's visitation on these people for their
sins" ("Travels with Steinbeck" 3). This experience added purpose to the novel "Of Mice

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and Men", and would be the strength, power, and influence that would inspire "The
Grapes of Wrath".
In 1935, Steinbeck took a trip to Mexico. In this nation full of poverty, he experienced
the true oppression of the hacienda owners towards the landless indigenous peasants.
This encounter developed the idea of George and Lennie to dream for a farm house,
enduring the struggle for the unobtainable due to the oppressing times of The Great
Depression. In fact, the dream of a farmhouse is symbolic of the deep, mutual
commitment that George and Lennie shared. Louis Owens in "Readings on: Of Mice
and Men" adds, "Although the dream of the farm dies, George and Lennie do attain, for
a short while, the dream of commitment when they break the grip of loneliness that
characterizes the world of the ranch and bunkhouse" (qtd.in Karson, "The Need for" 29).
Steinbeck believe that all dreams could be realized if only we shared a common goal
and a mutual cause.
Steinbeck's emotional connection with the struggle of equality became a form of
protest against the American tradition. Thus, his work became some of the most
protested literature of the twentieth century. Steinbeck's protest can be seen by
Ramachanda Rao who says, "Of Mice and Men dramatizes the intrusions of society in
the lives of these weak and defeated individuals" (qtd.in Karson, "A Study of" 45).
Because George and Lennie's dream of the farmhouse was so important to them, an
unbreakable bond and closeness between them was created. Society would inevitably
destroy the dream that they shared which was represented by the fury of the mob.
Steinbeck's purpose is for the reader to realize self depravation and isolation is caused
by one's own conduct.

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Allegorical Illustrations
Another distinction of this novel is, that it's composed of various allegories. The
situation of George, the "Cain" figure in the story, who is limited by the dependencies of
the weaker partner; leaves the reader to wonder why the virtue of innocence seems to
corrupt the mind of the caretaker, bringing the question of "how much responsibility is
required from one human being to another?" Marilyn Chandler McEntyre in "Bloom's
Guides" quotes: "Steinbeck, along with a number of other writers, offers a revisionist
perspective on Cain's story, attempting to understand this 'dark hero' in terms of
willingness to accept the burden of consciousness, and ultimately murder in order to be
his brother's keeper" (qtd.in Bloom, "Cain, Abel" 110). In the end George is forced to
make the heartbreaking decision of taking Lennie's life to spare him from further pain, a
decision that obligated his conscience to execute a dark act of kindness.
Although Lennie does not resemble Abel in character, he does when it comes to
innocence; the innocence that drives Cain to murder. This twist compels its readers to
identify closely with the slayer of the innocent, and to raise the question of guilt: one
man's innocence may require another man's guilt. To preserve innocence is costly and
ultimately undesirable. There's an important lecture in this allegory, according to
McEntyre, "The fall requires humans to come into consciousness, and therefore into
conscience, to experiment guilt, and thereby be pointed to redemption" (qtd.in
Bloom,"Cain, Abel" 111). In many ways various characters in this novel had different
flaws as do all in everyday life. As man falls, his conscious is awakened, driving him to
analyze his incompetence, ultimately causing atonement with his struggle against
imperfection.

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Other researchers have come to a different understanding of these allegories.

Lennie also represents George's failure, as did Abel towards Cain before God. Abel's
sacrifices were approved by God when Cain's were rejected, driving him to kill Abel out
of jealousy. In William Goldhurst's view, "Angry, jealous, and rejected, Cain killed Abel
while working in the field, as George angry at Lennie's troubles, without hesitation killed
Lennie" (qtd.in Bloom, "The Cain and" 40). Abel became Cain's challenge on the road to
success, as Lennie did for George. George was held back from keeping a job, getting
married, or even visiting the cathouse in his spare time. Steinbeck's unique method of
coupling symbolic illustrations with issues of his time, which continue to be relevant
today, have lead to diverse interpretations by critics then and now.
Steinbeck's experience during his trips around the country, involved some of the
hundreds of thousands of laborers who had left their Dust Bowl ruined homes and farms
for land full of opportunities and healthy soiled that could be harvested. This exodus of
people is a symbol of the Israelites when they left Egypt as they sought the promise
land flowing with milk and honey. John Timmerman maintains that, "Crossing the
mountains represents the entrance into the promise land for the Okies as it did to the
Israelites" (qtd.in Bloom, "Locations and" 103). Similarly, Lennie describes their own
dream land many times in the novella, and how they would live off the fat of the earth,
tending the rabbits. A scenario relevant to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve
would live off the fruitful land. Steinbeck's ability to describe the land and the
countryside he grew up in can be viewed with a sense of deep, intimate beauty. At the
same time in another scene in "Of Mice and Men", the author describes "the darkening
mountains," which represent the mystery of death. The two scenes of the mountains in

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those two evenings and the serene willow grove represent, as Timmerman points out,
"a retreat from the world to a primeval innocence" (qtd.in Bloom, "Locations and" 103).
George and Lennie were escaping from a world infatuated with death and destruction
longing for a small farmhouse where they could live in peace.
Lennie is obviously a character with special needs requiring George's caretaking.
Lennie is a representation of the handicapped. In an interview by Jonathan Leaf,
Steinbeck was asked, by the reporter, if Lennie represented the physically limited to
which he replied, "All fiction characters are symbolic of human needs and desires" ("Of
Mice and Melodrama" 2). Another symbol of the crippled is shown in Candy's dog.
Although a dog is not of great importance, it brings out the brutal, careless attitude in
Carlson who embodies societies behavior at the time. Carlson described the dog as
smelly and being in everyone's way. Candy's biggest regret is that he didn't shoot the
dog himself. It would have been kinder to have the dog die by a familiar, loving hand
than to have a stranger drag him to his death. This same feeling motivated George to
take care of the socially crippled Lennie, leading him to his death by the one most
dearest to him. For Steinbeck, this would constitute an act of rare heroism, a gesture of
sympathy through a dark act.
John Steinbeck was a versatile writer. He has been described as a social-protest
writer, a realist, a journalist, and even a playwright. The story is essentially dramatic in
its configuration that to adapt to it, one must accept the conscious that compels man to
take action when needed even if the consequence is a guilty conscious.
Steinbeck spoke to his readers because he understood the American struggle. He
painted a clear picture of his time period, one that the average American can relate to

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as he endeavors through the trials of life. This novel is one full of profound emotions, an
atmosphere that seem familiar from a setting of two-thousand years ago as they do in
our own time. It is a sense of the past made present that gives his work a universal
understanding, an understanding influenced by politics, human emotions, and a variety
of allegories.

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Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. "Plot Summary of: Of Mice and Men." Blooms Major Novelists: 2000.
(2005): 53-56. EBSCOhost. Web. 22 July 2009.
Bristol, Horace. "Travels with Steinbeck." People Magazine. 21 July 2009: 2-3. Web. 20
July 2009.
Chandler McEntyre, Marilyn. "Cain, Abel, and Innocence." John Steinbeck's: Of Mice
and Men. Bloom's Guides. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 2006. 110.
Print.
Cook Hadella, Charlotte. "Political Influences on the Novel." John Steinbeck's: Of Mice
and Men. Bloom's Guides. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 2006. 62.
Print.
Goldhurst, William. "The Cain and Abel Theme in: Of Mice and Men." Blooms Notes.
Ed. Harold Bloom. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. 40. Print.
Gottlieb, Robert. "The Rescue of John Steinbeck." The New York Review of Books.
55.6 (2008): 1-8. Web. 20 July 2009.
"John Steinbeck's Biography." steinbeck.org. National Steinbeck Center, 1 Jan 2009.
Web. 17 July 2009.
"John Steinbeck, 1902-1968." Time Magazine. Dec. 1998: 1-3. Web. 17 July 2009.
Leaf, Jonathan. "Of Mice and Melodrama." New Criterion. 26.4 (2007): 84-87.
EBSCOhost. Web. 22 July 2009.
Owens, Louis. "The Dream of Commitment." Modern Critical Views. Ed. Harold Bloom.
New York: Chelsea House, 1997. 145. Print.
Owens, Louis. "The Need for Commitment." Readings on: Of Mice and Men. Ed. Jill
Karson. California: Green Haven Press, 1998. 29. Print.

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Perkins, Barbara. "Literary Timeline." pbs.org. The American Novel. 11 Jan 2007: 1-2.
Web. 17 July 2009.
Rao, Ramachandra. "A Study of Social Conflict." Readings on: Of Mice and Men. Ed.
Jill Karson. California: Green Haven Press, 1998. 45. Print.
Stackpole, Peter. "Time & Life Pictures." life.com. Life Magazine, 15 March 2007. Web.
22 July 2009.
Timmerman, John. "Locations and Frames in the Novel." John Steinbeck's: Of Mice
and Men. Bloom's Guides. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 2006. 103.
Print.
"Travel & History: John Steinbeck." u-s-history.com. NW Travel Magazine Online, 19
July 2001. Web. 16 July 2009.

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Glossary
allegoriesa. The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in
narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. A story, picture, or play employing such
representation. A symbolic representation.
atonementa. Amends or reparation made for an injury or wrong; expiation. Reconciliation or an
instance of reconciliation between God and humans.
communisma. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a
single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher
social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
constitutea. To be the elements or parts of; compose. To amount to; equal.
b. To set up or establish according to law or provision. To found (an institution).
c. To enact (a law or regulation).
depictiona. To represent in a picture or sculpture. To represent in words; describe.
divesta. To strip, as of clothes. To deprive, as of rights or property; dispossess. To free of; rid.
b. To sell off or otherwise dispose of (a subsidiary company or an investment).
embodya. To give a bodily form to; incarnate. To represent in bodily or material form.
b. To make part of a system or whole; incorporate.
endeavora. A conscientious or concerted effort toward an end; a sincere but serious attempt.
b. Purposeful or industrious activity; enterprise.
fortifya. To strengthen and secure (a position) with fortifications. To reinforce by adding
material.
b. To impart physical strength or endurance. To give emotional, moral, or mental
strength to; encourage.
fraternitya. A body of people associated for a common purpose or interest. The quality or
condition of being brothers; brotherliness. A group of people joined by similar
backgrounds, occupations, interests, or tastes.

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futilea. Having no useful result.

intrusiona. The act of intruding or the condition of being intruded on. An inappropriate or
unwelcome addition
b. Illegal entry upon or appropriation of the of another's property.
oppressiona. To be oppressing; arbitrary and cruel exercise of power. Something that oppresses.
b. A feeling of being heavily weighed down in mind or body.
primevala. Belonging to the first or earliest age or ages; original or ancient.
propagandaa. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the
views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.
segregationa. The policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic
groups, as in schools, housing, and public or commercial facilities, especially as a form
of discrimination.
serenea. Unaffected by disturbance; calm and unruffled. Unclouded; fair.
socialisma. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of
producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government
that often plans and controls the economy.
unscrupulousa. Devoid of scruples; oblivious to or contemptuous of what is right or honorable.
versatilea. Capable of doing many things competently. Having varied uses or serving many
functions. Variable or changeable.
willowa. Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Salix, having usually narrow
leaves, unisexual flowers borne in catkins, and strong lightweight wood.

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Index
Affects of loneliness, 5-6.
Composing literature with symbolism, 9-10.
Consequences of oppression, 7.
Political success, 3-4.
Redemption, 8-9.