Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas,

California. Of Mice And Men was published in 1937.

Following the collapse of the New York Wall Street stock market in

1929, the United States entered a period of economic depression.

During this phase of failed businesses, harsh poverty and long-term

unemployment, masses of migrant workers came to California from other

parts of the U.S. in search of work. Men, mostly travelling alone,

migrated from ranch to ranch on short-term, very low paid contracts,

this being the only type of work available to them. This is the time

when the book “Of Mice And Men” was set. Steinbeck also lived through

this time, and so we can safely assume that the book should give us a

fairly accurate picture of what life would have been like at the time.

Although we never learn where George Milton and Lennie Small, the two

main characters of the novel, come from they personalise the American

Dream. The dream to own their own little piece of land, and settle

down in the ‘Promised Land’ which California, the setting “Of Mice And

Men”, represented.

The story “Of Mice And Men”, explains and describes part of the life

of George and Lennie, two travelling farm labourers lead. It tells of

the loyalty and friendship that exists between them; the hostility of

the economic environment that America was in at the time; the

isolation and loneliness that came with moving around the country all

the time; and the dream of a safer, better life.

Loneliness is a very big part of the novel “Of Mice And Men” it

effects many of the characters, but is especially expressed through

the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. The life of

migrant workers was incredibly lonely, always moving from one ranch to

another; mainly lone workers (with the exception of George and

Lennie); not staying for more than a few weeks. So there wasn’t really

any opportunity to make any lasting relationships with anyone,