Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
By: Brittany Powell
On October 29 of 1929, or the day known as Black Tuesday, the United States’
stock market crashed. Black Tuesday was the start of a worldwide economic depression.
The great depression began in the United States but soon spread to almost every other
place in the world. The great depression spread the globe in 1929 and would not be
diminished until the late 1930’s or early 40’s. Following right behind the depression was
World War II. However, through this time of great sorrow and suffering there were still
good things that came out of the Great Depression. A famous writer name John Steinbeck
was one of those great things. He wrote the novel “Of mice and men” following the Great
Depression, and it was a story that would give the world hope. It was a story that would
show people the American Dream. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression)
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. was born on February 27, 1902 and lived to be 66 years
old when he died on December 20, 1968. Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California and
was a German and Irish descent. John Steinbeck was an American writer; he wrote a total
of twenty-six books. He wrote sixteen novels, six non-fiction stories, and five collections
of short stories. Steinbeck was awarded a Novel prize for Literature in 1962.
(http://www.steinbeck.org/About.html)
John Steinbeck wrote the novel “Of mice and men” in 1937. A story based on a
time of the great depression. “Of mice and men” was changed to television shows, many
plays writes and transformed into two films. The book “Of mice and men” was a story
about two men, George and his friend Lennie, who was a little slower then George.
Through Steinbeck’s story of these two friends, he introduced the world into the
American Dream. (http://www.free-book-summary.com/of-mice-and-men.html)
George and his friend Lennie have a dream of owning their own farm, and having
all kinds of animals. Lennie was slow and didn’t really understand a lot about it, but
George would always calm him down by telling his stories about the farm they would
have all for themselves. The two men work for a man on a farm to earn enough money to
start their own place. It is possible that their undeniable friendship and passion could
have made their dream just with in their reach. However, when Lennie gets into trouble
on the farm, the two friend’s dream will end in an unforgettable tragedy.
(http://www.free-book-summary.com/of-mice-and-men.html)
John Steinbeck’s family owned a farm in Heiligenhaus, Germany and is named
after his family’s original name, Groβsteinbeck. When his parents moved to the United
States they changed their last name to Steinbeck. John Steinbeck lived in a rural town,
surrounded by some of the most fertile fields in the world. Like the characters in the
novel “Of mice and men” John worked on local farms and ranches to make some money.
Through working on these farms, Steinbeck began to see the bad side of migrants and of
human nature. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck)
John Steinbeck graduated from high school in Salinas, in June 1919. Steinbeck
was married to three different women through out his lifetime. His first wife was Carol
Henning Steinbeck Brown, they got married in 1939 and were divorced in1942.
Gwyndolyn Conger Steinbeck was John’s second wife, John married her in 1943.. John
Steinbeck had two sons with this wife, Gwyndolyn. Thomas Steinbeck was born on
August 2, 1944 and John Steinbeck the IV who was born on June 12, 1946. John
Steinbeck divorced Gwyndolyn Conger Steinbeck in 1948, two years after his youngest
son was born. His third and final wife was Elaine Anderson Scott Steinbeck. They were
married. Elaine and John were married in 1950; she died on April 27, 2003.
(http://www.steinbeck.org/About.html)
In the novel “Of mice and men”, I believe that Steinbeck relates what he learned
as a child and working on the farms to his story. Steinbeck’s father was a rich man and
her took good care of his family. Steinbeck makes Gorge’s character in the novel as
almost a father to Lennie. (SteinbeckJ E. Of Mice and Men. Print.)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck)
It is also said that Steinbeck’s second wife, Gwyndolyn the mother of his two
sons, cheated on him. Curley’s wife in the novel “Of mice and men”, in my opinion
represents the temptation of men. Curley’s wife is basically portrayed in the story as the
“tramp”, the one thing that will prevent male happiness. I think that the character of
Curley’s wife and her actions are the way Steinbeck saw his wife Gwyndolyn.
(http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/section1.rhtml)
(http://www.steinbeck.org/About.html)
In the novel “Of mice and men”, Lennie gets his own puppy on the farm where
they are working. When Lennie accidentally kills his puppy, it is representing the similar
fate that is awaiting Lennie at the end of the novel. I think it is a symbol of the unknown
power that Lennie actually has. The farm however is the biggest symbol in the entire
book. George and Lennie dream of the beautiful farm, their paradise from the world. In
the story the two character’s dream draws everyone around them in to wanting a part of it
to. The farm represents the freedom that the men could have. They could raise their own
livestock and grow their own food, the way they wanted to. They would have complete
freedom from the outside world. The deaths and the killings represent the pain that
Steinbeck had experienced while he was trying to reach his dreams. (SteinbeckJ E. Of
Mice and Men. Print.) (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/section1.rhtml)
John Steinbeck took a time of great sadness and struggle and used it to his
advantage. He wrote this novel as a representation of his own life and similar to everyone
else’s life at that time in history. In my opinion from what I have learned about John
Steinbeck’s life, he wrote the novel “Of mice and men” to represent his experiences and
what he had been through.
Brittany Nicole Powell
Citations:
Neary, W. "About John Steinbeck." About John Steinbeck. The Viking press Inc., New
York, 2009. Web. 31 Dec. 2009. <http://www.steinbeck.org/About.html>.
Wikipedia, . "John Steinbeck." Wikipedia. 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck>.
Enotes, . "Of mice and men." enotes. enotes.com, Inc., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2010.
<http://www.enotes.com/of-mice-and-men-salem/mice-men>.
SparkNotes, . "Of mice and men." SpankNotes. SparkNotes LLC, All Rights Reserved,
2009. Web. 31 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/canalysis.html>.
Free-Book-Summary, . "Of mice and men, by John Steinbeck." Free-Book-Summary.
2009. Web. 31 Dec. 2009. <http://www.free-book-summary.com/of-mice-andmen.html>.
Wikipedia, . "Great Depression." Wikipedia. Web. 1 Jan. 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression>.
SteinbeckJ E. Of Mice and Men. Print.
Pictures:
Ryan, Laura. Steinbeck. Web. 27 Feb. 2008.
<http://blog.syracuse.com/shelflife/2008/02/writers_born_this_day_longfell.html>.
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