Introduction to…
Of Mice and
Men
by John Steinbeck
About the Author:
Biography
John Steinbeck
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was born Feb.27 1902 in Salinas CA
His school teacher mother fostered
his love of reading and writing
Grew up working summers on nearby
ranches with migrants
Became aware of the harsh lives of
migrant workers
Attended Stanford University and left
without a degree
Lived in NY and tried writing but was
not published immediately and
moved back to CA where he worked
as a handy-man
Had 2 children with his 2nd wife,
divorced and married a third time and
stayed with that wife until his death in
NYC of a heart attack.
SETTING:
 Salinas Valley,
California
 During the time
of the “Great
Depression”
CHARACTERS:
 LENNIE was physically large
and extremely strong.
 As large as he was, he was
mentally challenged, having
the mentality and
temperament of a small child.
 He was fiercely loyal to and
dependant upon George
 Lennie liked to touch soft
things like velvet, rabbits and
mice. He was unaware of his
own strength and continued to
get into trouble which George
continued to get them out of
 LENNIE
CHARACTERS:
 George was a good
friend to Lennie
 He was small of
stature but wiry and
well built
 He was frustrated
with the task of
having to take care
of Lennie but had
compassion and
loyalty as well
 George
Additional Characters:
Whit
Curley’s
Wife
Carlson
Slim
Boss
Crooks
Curley
Candy
VOCABULARY
 anguished (adj.): anguish is a
feeling of great physical or
mental pain.
 contemplated (v.) To
contemplate something is to
think about it.
 morosely (adv.): in a sad,
gloomy manner
 recumbent (adj.): still; without
movement bridled (v.): to pull
one's head back in anger or
pride
 complacently (adv.): in a
pleased, satisfied manner
 derogatory (adj.): belittling and
insulting
 liniment (n.): a medicated
liquid rubbed on the skin to
 mollified (adj.): soothed;
pacified
 ominously (adv.): in a
threatening way
 pugnacious (adj.): eager and
ready to fight
 scourges (n.): a scourge is
anything that inflicts
discomfort or suffering
 slough (v): get rid of
 stable buck (n.): a stable is a
building where horses are
kept. A buck, in this case, is a
derogatory word for a black
man.
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bemused: preoccupied; deep in
thought
euchre: a card game
In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to
understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other.
Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There
are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change,
writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that
base theme try to understand each other.
John Steinbeck: 1938 Journal Entry
THEMES
Survival
Loneliness
Friendship
Trust
Euthanasia
Dreams/Goals
Plot Summary
George and Lennie are migrant workers during the great
depression. Lennie is mentally challenged and George
has made it his business to take care of him. This is
no easy task as Lennie is bound to get into trouble due
to his enormous size and strength. George and Lennie
share a dream to own their own little parcel of land. As
they settle into their new job on a ranch in Soledad it
looks as though they may be able to scrape up enough
money to see their dream come to fruition. But then
the trouble begins… Curley, the boss’s belligerent son
picks a fight with Lennie. Curley’s flirtatious wife
begins to confide in Lennie of her loneliness on the
ranch. Things get out of hand and George once again
must come to the rescue of Lennie. But George is then
forced to make the most difficult decision of his life
While reading don’t
forget to…
 Look for Literary Elements
such as foreshadowing,
conflict, characterization,
symbolism and literal and
figurative language
 Identify the dreams of the
different characters
 Keep in mind the time period
when reading about Crooks
and Lennie and how they are
treated
 Enjoy the book!
Bibliography
Google images
www.;ausd.k12.ca.us/belmont_hs/mic
e
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of Mice
And Men
Additional Websites
 http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men
 http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/mice
 http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/depression.htm
 http://www.sdcoe.k12.k12.ca.us/score/mice/micetg.html.
 http://www.answers.com/topic/of-mice-and-men-novel-5
The End