John Steinbeck

• Was born on February 27th 1902 in Salinas

Valley in the state of California in the USA
• Died on December 20th 1968 in New York
• Was a famous writer

U.S. Postage stamp

• In 1962 the Swedish Academy awarded
John Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for
Literature, the highest honour a writer The Nobel Prize for
can receive Literature
• The prize was presented for the body of
his work
• The prize was met with outcries from
critics who felt that Steinbeck had
limited talent and was a writer of
propaganda
• Privately, he felt he did not deserve the
honour
• Although the prize gave Steinbeck a
place of great honour in the literary
world, it also put terrible pressure on
his future writing
The United States Medal of Freedom
• The medal is the
highest civilian award
for distinguished
Americans
• In September of
1964, John Steinbeck
was awarded the
United States Medal
of Freedom by
President Lyndon B.
Johnson

Steinbeck with his son, visits President

Lyndon B. Johnson in the Oval Office of
the White House
The California
Novels
The Pastures of Heaven
The Red Pony
To A God Unknown
Tortilla Flat
In Dubious Battle
Of Mice And Men (1937)
The Long Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Cannery Row
East Of Eden
Sweet Thursday
Stage Play
Of Mice and Men
• was published in 1937
• was a popular and critical
success
• was selected by the Book-of-
the-Month Club
• Steinbeck produced a play
version of the book with
famous playwright George
Kaufman
• The play won the New York
Drama Critic Circle’s Award
and also became a popular
film
Place of
Action
• Place of action is
in the state of
California Place of action
• We remember
that Steinbeck
himself was born
in Salinas
• Soledad is a
coastal California
city about 130
miles south of San
Francisco
The American Dream & The Great Depression
• From the 17th Century, when the first settlers arrived, immigrants dreamed of a
better life in America.
• People went there to escape from persecution or poverty, and to make a new life for
themselves or their families.
• They dreamed of making their fortunes in the goldfields.
• For many the dream became a nightmare.
• The horrors of slavery, of the American Civil War, the growth of towns with slums as
bad as those in Europe, and the corruption of the American political system led to
many shattered hopes.
• For the American society as a whole the dream ended with the Wall Street crash of
1929.
• This was the start of the Great Depression that would affect the whole world during
the 1930’s.
• However the dream survived for individuals. Thousands made their way west to
California to escape from their farmlands in the mid-West.
• George and Lennie dreamt of their 'little house and a couple of acres'.
• The growing popularity of cinema was the last American Dream for many, Curley's
wife was one: 'Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes.'
 During the 1930’s, when there was very bad
unemployment in the United States, agencies
Migrant were set up under the New Deal to send farm-
Farm workers to where they were needed. George and
Lennie got their work cards from Murray and
Workers Ready's, one of these agencies.

Farm workers getting work cards under a Government Scheme

 Why Of Mice and Men?
• The title of the novel comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns
(1759 - 96):

The best laid schemes o' mice and men

Gang aft agley [often go wrong]
And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy!

www.englishresouces.co.uk
Characters
• He is a small man, but has brains and a quick wit.
• He has been a good friend to Lennie, ever since he
George Milton
promised Lennie's Aunt Clara that he would care for
him. He looks after all Lennie's affairs, such as carrying
his work card, and tries to steer him out of potential
trouble.
• He needs Lennie as a friend, not only because Lennie's
strength helps to get them both jobs, but so as not to
be lonely. His threats to leave Lennie are not really
serious. He is genuinely proud of Lennie.
• He shares a dream with Lennie to own a piece of land
and is prepared to work hard to build up the money
needed to buy it.
• "...with us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got
somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We
don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack 'jus
because we got no place else to go. If them other guys
gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn.
But not us."
• He is honest with people he trusts. For example, he
tells Slim that he used to play tricks on Lennie when
they were young, but now feels guilty about it as
Lennie nearly drowned.
• He is a big man, in contrast to his name.
• He has limited intelligence, so he relies on George to
look after him.
Lennie Small
• "Behind him(George)walked his opposite, a huge
man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with
wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily,
dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his
paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung
loosely."
• He shares a dream with George to own a piece of
land. Lennie's special job would be to tend the
rabbits
• He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead
mice. We know this got him into trouble in Weed
when he tried to feel a girl's soft red dress: she
thought he was going to attack her.
• He can be forgetful - George continually has to
remind him about important things.
• He is very gentle and kind, and would never harm
anyone or anything deliberately.
• He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two
men at bucking barley.
• He is often described as a child or an animal - he
drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands
are described as paws.
Slim • Slim is the jerkline skinner (lead mule-team
driver) at the ranch. He is excellent at his job.
• He is the natural leader at the ranch.
Everyone respects his views and looks up to
him.
• He has a quiet dignity: he doesn't need to
assert himself to have authority.
• "there was a gravity in his manner and a quiet
so profound that all talk stopped when he
spoke. His authority was so great that his
word was taken on any subject, be it politics
or love."
• He understands the relationship between
George and Lennie. He helps George at the
end and reassures George that he did the
right thing.
• We know little else about him, which gives
him a slightly mysterious quality. Do you think
he is too good to be true?
Curley • Curley is the boss's son, so he
doesn't need to work like the
ordinary ranch hands, and he
has time to kill.
• He's little - so he hates big guys.
• He is a prize-fighter and looks
for opportunities for a fight.
• He is newly- married and is very
possessive of his wife - but he
still visits brothels.
• There is a rumour that he wears
a glove filled with Vaseline to
keep his hand soft for his wife.
Curley’s wife • She is newly married to Curley.
• We never know her name - she is merely
Curley's 'property' with no individual
identity.
• She is young, pretty, wears attractive
clothes and curls her hair.
• She seems flirtatious and is always
hanging around the bunk-house.
• She is lonely - there are no other women
to talk to. Curley is not really interested in
her.
• She doesn't like Curley - she tells Lennie
that she only married him when she didn't
receive a letter she'd been promised to get
into Hollywood.
• She is naive.
 • Crooks is the black stable hand or buck.

Crooks • He is the only permanent employee at the ranch,

since he injured his back in an accident.
• He is the only black man around and is isolated by his
colour.
• He is always called the 'nigger' by the men, which
shows how racism is taken for granted. The men don't
mean to insult Crooks every time they call him this,
but they never think to use his name.
• He is lonely.
• "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't
go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you
were black...A guy needs somebody-to be near
him....I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."
• The only time he mixes with the ranch hands socially
is when they pitch horseshoes - and then he beats
everyone!
• He has his own room near the stables. He has books,
which show he is intelligent and an old copy of the
California Civil Code, which suggests he is concerned
about his rights.
• He has seen many men come and go, all dreaming of
buying a piece of land.
Candy • Candy is the oldest ranch hand. He lost his right
hand in an accident at work.
• He is the 'swamper' - the man who cleans the
bunkhouse. He knows he will be thrown out and put
'on the county' when he is too old to work.
• Because of this, he accepts what goes on and
doesn't challenge anything: he can't afford to lose
his job.
• He has a very old dog, which he has had from a pup.
It is his only friend and companion.
• Carlson insists on shooting the dog because he
claims it is too old and ill to be of any use. Candy is
devastated.
• He is lonely and isolated, but makes friends with
George and Lennie and offers his compensation
money to help them all to buy a ranch together and
achieve their dream.
• When he finds Curley's wife dead, he is furious, as
he knows instantly that Lennie was involved and
that they have lost their chance of achieving their
dream.
 The Themes of the Novel
• The novel is a parable (lignelse) that tries to explain what it
means to be human
• Essentially, man is a very small part of a very large universe
• In the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and
leave very little, lasting mark
• Yet deep inside all people are longing for a place in nature –
the desire for the land, roots, and a place to call ”home”
• The struggle for such a place is universal, and its success is
uncertain
Steinbeck’s vision of what it means to be human,
touches on several themes:

1. The nature of dreams

2. The nature of loneliness
3. Man’s propensity (hang, tilbøyelighet) for cruelty
4. Powerlessness and economic injustices
5. The uncertainty of the future
 The Nature of Dreams
• Of Mice and Men is as much a story about the nature of
human dreams and aspirations as it is the story of two men
• Humans give meaning to their lives – and to their futures –
by creating dreams
• Without dreams and goals, life is an endless stream of days
that have little connection or meaning
• George and Lennie’s dream is to own a little farm of their
own
• The telling of the story (dream) becomes a ritual between
the two men
 The Last Telling of the Story...
...’We gonna get a little place,’ George began. He reached in his side pocket and
brought out Carlson’s Luger. He snapped off the the safety, and the hand and gun lay
on the ground behind Lennie’s back. He looked at the back of Lennie’s head, at the
place where the spine and the skull were joined.
A man’s voice called from up the river, and another man answered.
’Go on,’ said Lennie.
George raised his gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the
ground again.
’Go on,’ said Lennie. ’How’s it gonna be. We gonna get a little place.’
’We’ll have a cow,’ said George. ’And we’ll have maybe a pig and
chickens...and down the flat we’ll have a...little piece of alfalfa...’
’For the rabbits,’ Lennie shouted.
’For the rabbits,’ George repeated.
’And I get to tend the rabbits.’
’And you get to tend the rabbits.’
Lennie giggled with happiness. ’And live on the fat of the land.’
The Nature of Dreams...
• To George, his dream of having their own place means
independence, security, being his own boss, and, most
importantly, being ”somebody”
• To Lennie, the dream is like the soft animals he pets: it
means security, the responsibility of tending the rabbits,
and a sanctuary (tilfluktssted) where he won’t be afraid
• To Candy, the dream of the farm offers security for old
age and a home where he will fit in
• For Crooks, the farm will be a place where he can have
self-respect, acceptance, and security
• For George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks–human dignity is
an integral (vesentlig) part of the dream
 Loneliness
• Humans crave contact with others to give life meaning
• Loneliness is present throughout the novel
- the ranch hands go into town to ease their loneliness
with alcohol and women
- Lennie goes into Crooks’s room to find someone to
talk to
- Curley’s wife comes for the same reason
• Crooks says: ”A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t
make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you.”
• Slim mentions: ”I seen the guys that go around on the
ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun.
After a long time they get mean.”
Loneliness...
• George’s taking care of Lennie and the dream of the farm are the attempts to
break the pattern of loneliness that is part of the human condition
• Similarily, Lennie’s desire to pet soft things comes from the need to feel safe
and secure, to touch something that gives him that feeling of not being alone in
the world. For Lennie, the dream of the farm parallels that security
• The theme of loneliness is also notably present in the characters of Candy,
Crooks, and Curley’s wife. How?
 Loneliness...
• Candy: Candy’s dog stopped Candy from being lonely
• Curley’s wife: Her husband has forbidden anyone to
talk to her. She combats her loneliness by flirting
with the ranch hands
• Crooks: Crooks is isolated because of his skin colour.
As the only black man on the ranch, he is not allowed
into the bunkhouse with the others. He combats
(kjemper mot) his loneliness with books and his work.
Loneliness...

• Solidade: The name of the town means ”solitude” or ”alone”

Barriers

• Despite the need for companionship, people set up barriers that

maintain loneliness
• People sustain (opprettholder) those barriers by being inhumane to
each other
Barriers...
• A barrier based on gender: The real thing that isolates Curley’s wife is that
she is a female in an all-male world
• A barrier based on race: Crooks being an Afro-American must occupy a
room in the stable alone. He is not welcome in the bunkhouse
• A barrier based on age and handicap: Candy is afraid of being thrown out
because of his age and handicap. He is a victim of a society that does not
value age and discriminates against handicaps.
 Powerlessness
• Steinbeck’s characters are often underdogs
• He shows compassion (medfølelse) toward them throughout his body of
writings
Powerlessness...

• Powerlessness takes many forms:

- intellectual
- financial
- societal
• Steinbeck touches them all
• Which characters represent the different forms of powerlessness?
Literary Device – Animal Imagery
Lennie
• is often compared to a bear with his huge size and strength
• ’s hands are described as paws
• is always associated with rabbits and mice
• snorts like a horse at the stream
• Circles like a terrier when he does not want to bring the dead
mouse to George

These animal images lead careful readers to question Lennie’s

future. With his enormous strength and his lack of intelligence,
common sense, and responsibility, Lennie causes the reader to
wonder how well he fits into human society.