JOHN STEINBECK’S OF MICE AND MEN

Great DepressionLand of opportunity = Land of desperationBest hope: CaliforniaFarmers packed families into Cars, tied possessions on the back, and sought work out westAdvancement was no longer theaim; it was simple survival

THE CONTEXT: AMERICA IN THE 1930S

Population: 123,188,000 Life Expectancy:

Male, 58.1 Female, 61.6

Average salary: $1,368 (was reduced by 40% between 1929-1932) 

Unemployment rises to 25% Food Prices (Thanksgiving,

1931) Turkey, .39 cents/lbs Carrots, .05 cents/bunch Sweet potatoes, .10 cents/3

lbs Cranberries, .19 cents/17 oz

can Milk, .56 cents/gallon Bread, 9 cents a loaf

Population: 311,591,917 Life Expectancy:

Male, 75.9 Female, 81.2

Average salary: $46,326 Unemployment rate: 8.3% Food Prices (Thanksgiving,

2011) Turkey, $1.25/lbs Carrots, .25 cents/bunch Sweet potatoes, $3.26/lbs Cranberries, $2.49/12 oz

can Milk , $3.50/gallon Package of 18 dinner

rolls, $3

AMERICA 1930S VS. 2011

“Fruit Cup or Clam Cocktail, Chicken Broth or Vegetable Soup; Entree

Turkey or Chicken; Four Vegetables, Alligator Pear or Waldorf Salad, Choice

of Dessert, Tea, Coffee or Milk, $1.25.”

Display ad, Morris Restuarant, 147 Morris St. Morristown, New Jersey, Daily Record, November 25, 1931

THANKSGIVING DINNER, MORRIS RESTAURANT MENU

Buildings: Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefellar Centre

The Arts: Jackson Pollock; Clark Gable; Shirley Temple; War of the Worlds; many musicals…

Literature: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Dr. Seuss

Stamp collectionsMonopolyBaseballThe zipper

IT WASN’T ALL BAD!

1902-1968Born in Salinas,

CaliforniaSpent his

summers working on ranches

Attended Stanford University, but never graduated

First well-known novel: Tortilla Flat (1935)Receiveda Nobel Prizein Literature in 1962Wrote 27 books in

total

THE AUTHOR: JOHN STEINBECK

Lived in well-established family home…for free

Older family members supported him and his wife

Supplied him with paper for writingPaid off his loans for himPaid his living expenses, allowing him

to quit his warehouse job and focus on writing

STEINBECK DURING THE DEPRESSION

Written in 1937Originally titled Something That Happened“To a Mouse” poemOften referred to as a novel-playHas been made into a movie three times,

as well as a made-for-TV movieAppears on the American Library

Association’s list of the most challenged books of the 21st century

Was chosen as a Book of the Month Club selection before it was published

THE NOVEL: OF MICE AND MEN

“I was a bindlestiff myself for quite a spell. I worked in the same county that the story is laid in. The characters are composites to a

certain extent. Lennie was a real person. He's in an insane asylum in California right now. I worked alongside him for many weeks…He

killed a ranch foreman. Got sore because the boss had fired his pal and stuck a pitchfork right through his stomach. I hate to tell you how many times I saw him do it. We couldn't

stop him until it was too late.”

~1937 interview with The New York Times

STEINBECK ON OF MICE AND MEN

Setting: California, during the Great Depression

Mainly follows the actions of two displaced ranch workers: George Milton and Lennie Small

Tragedy

A BRIEF INTRO