OF MICE AND MEN.
JOHN STEINBECK.
WHY IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF "OF MICE AND MEN" AN EFFECTIVE
START TO THE NOVEL?
Para. 1
Character
 Strong focus on 2 very interesting characters.
 Very detailed picture of their personalities provided - necessary because novel is
so short - JS needs to identify and interest reader in main characters very quickly.
 Give brief sketch of each man. (Approx. 2 sentences per man.)
 Unusual to have "hero" who is mentally disabled. (“The Curious Tale of the Dog
in the Night Time” “To Kill a Mockingbird” “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest”)
 Finish para. by saying reader interested in them - will read on to find out what
happens to them.
Para. 2
Relationship
 JS creates unusual relationship.
 Each man reliant on the other to fulfil certain needs - George emotional / Lennie
emotional & physical.
 Give brief outline of relationship. (Approx. 4 sentences).
 Reader intrigued: how will George's conflict in response to relationship resolve
itself? “I could get along so easy and nice if I didn't have you on my tail.”
 Finish para. by saying reader intrigued by relationship & will read on to see how
it develops.
Para. 3
Narrative
 Narrative provides several "narrative hooks" which set up questions in readers'
minds that they want answered:
 What will happen to them at ranch they are heading to? "We gonna work on
ranch like the one we come from up north."
 Will Lennie's propensity for getting into trouble continue? "You get in trouble.
You do bad things and I got to get you out."
 Will there be a happy ending when '"Some day we're gonna get the jack together
and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and some pigs and...'
'An ' live off the fatta the lan'!' Lennie shouted."?
 Will there be bad trouble as there was in past and for which George is preparing?
"If you jus' happen to get into trouble like you always done before. I want you to
come right here and hide in the brush."
Para. 4
One dramatic event

George’s explosive tirade against Lennie. (Give brief outline.)

Makes reader realize that writer is capable of writing powerful, gripping
incidents,

So reader looks forward to more.
Para. 5
Interesting style
 JS marries high quality prose written in Standard American English and authentic
American dialect: "Lennie hesitated, looked wildly at the brush as though he
contemplated running for his freedom. George said coldly: 'You gonna give me
that mouse or do I have to sock you?'"
 Frequent use of vibrant dialogue - full of personality / colloquial power /
hypnotic rhythms: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in
the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place... They got nothing to
look ahead to... With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to
talk to that gives a damn about us."
 Most of narrative told through the medium of dialogue - makes the story very
accessible and creates a fast pace that carries the reader along.
 Lyrical writing which helps create atmosphere / reflect mood / alter pace: "They
made their beds on the sand, and as the blaze dropped from the fire, the sphere of
light grew smaller; the curling branches disappeared and only a faint glimmer
showed where the tree trunks were."
 Unique technique of using light and sound symbolically to herald / highlight
events / comment upon events: "The red light dimmed on the coals. Up the hill
from the river a coyote yammered, and a dog answered from the other side of the
stream. The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze."
Para. 6 (optional in exam)
Interesting structure
 Cinematic / theatrical technique to have moment's quiet before action starts.
 Author describes scene in detail allowing readers to visualise setting / root
themselves / absorb the spirit of the place. (Find quote from first paras of novel).
 Breaking up dialogue and narrative into sections by means of short, descriptive
passages. (Find e.g. in first chap.)
Para. 7
Conclusion
 Finish essay by referring back to title/task, saying that the aspects of the novel
referred to in the essay (character, relationship, narrative, structure and style)
combine to interest and intrigue readers so they are eager to read rest of novel.
 This is the main function of any first chapter and in this "Of Mice and Men"
succeeds admirably.
STEINBECK'S USE OF LIGHT AND NOISE IN "OF MICE AND MEN"
In "Of Mice and Men," the author, John Steinbeck, uses light and noise to enhance the
quality of the narrative. He uses these natural phenomena in many ways:
 symbolically,
 dramatically,
 to increase tension,
 prophetically,
 to create atmosphere and mood.
The first time that Steinbeck uses light is at the end of the first chapter when George
and Lennie settle down to sleep. Steinbeck has the light of the fire dwindle and round
into a sphere, "the sphere of light grew smaller." It brings the curtain down on the
first scene while, at the same time, it creates the impression of a cosy circle for the
two friends to sleep in. The gradual dying of the fire, "the red light dimmed on the
coals," brings down the tension after a dramatic, bad-tempered introduction to
George and Lennie's relationship. Steinbeck uses a gradually diminishing string of
noises to bring the section to a close: a fairly loud noise, "a coyote yammered from
the distance," is followed by a quieter one nearer to the men, "a dog answered from
the other side of the stream;" the last sentence describes the quietest sound of all
"the sycamore leaves whispered... little night breeze." In this way, Steinbeck
reduces the tension and rounds off the first chapter of the book.
At the beginning of the next chapter, Steinbeck employs his usual technique of
describing the scene in detail before bringing on any humans and, at the end of a long
paragraph describing the bunkhouse in detail, he portrays a shaft of sunlight, "a dust
laden bar," shining through one of the windows. It is almost like a theatrical
spotlight which centres our attention on the new stage. As well as this dramatic use of
the shaft of light, Steinbeck uses it symbolically, "in and out of the beam flies shot
like rushing stars." The word, "stars," has a double meaning here - shooting stars
which flash through the sky and are soon extinguished and "stars" meaning the
central character of a play. Symbolically, Steinbeck is saying that, like the flies, his
characters will rush about aimlessly, achieving nothing and soon will be extinguished
when he has finished with them. This phrase also has a wider significance - he is
using them to comment on the state of man, much in the same way a Shakespeare
used the candle image in "Macbeth," "Out, out brief candle," to comment on the
brevity and insignificance of life.
This metaphor is used again later in the chapter, "The sun square was on the floor
now and the flies whipped through it like sparks;" again Steinbeck is comparing
the brevity of man's life to the momentary existence of a spark from a fire. But this
time, light is accompanied by sound which rises in a crescendo, from a jingle to a
croak to a clear call, ending on a note of aggression and annoyance, "Where the
devil is that God-damned nigger!" Here Steinbeck is increasing dramatic tension
because George is about to react with concern, irritation and fear to the "set up" at the
ranch: "This here's no set up. I'm scared." Tension mounts in the scene as George
warns Lennie to keep away from Curley and, though Lennie agrees, the noises outside
build up to warn the reader that this man will be real source of future trouble for the
pair.
The noises become even louder and more grating a few moments later to emphasise
the repeated word, " trouble" and also to herald the arrival of the real catalyst of
future trouble - the girl. To reinforce the message, a split second before she enters the
bunkhouse, the girl cuts off the only source of light in the room, "the rectangle of
sunshine" that Steinbeck mentioned twice before. The girl cutting off the sunshine is
a very clear symbolic message: sunshine is representative of life and the girl has cut it
off, creating darkness for herself and the two friends - a real prophecy of things to
come.
Steinbeck uses sound in a very obvious way later in the scene to underline the
introduction of a very important part of the narrative and of a major theme in the book
- the shooting of Candy's dog. Immediately after Carlson suggests putting the dog
down, "Whn't you get Candy to shoot his old dog?" Steinbeck introduces a real
blast of noise, " Suddenly...sound." The vibrant noise may also have been used to
warn the reader that another source of potential trouble - Lulu's pups - had been
introduced. The reader, like George, who "had been staring intently at Slim" when
the pups were being discussed, will remember that George had promised Lennie a
pup. "First chance I get, I'll give you a pup." Now the promise can be fulfilled,
but the pup will be a major factor in the development of the tragedy - without it, the
girl and Lennie would not have met in the barn.
JOHN STEINBECK’S BACKGROUND
MAJOR INFLUENCES IN HIS WRITING CAREER
First influence
Secure family, comfortably off, but not rich. Mother, strong-willed teacher,
encouraged John to read widely, to write and to do well in school. She wanted
him to have a university education. John read many novels by English writers
and absorbed aspects of their styles and vocabulary. Many of these writers
wrote in elaborate and sophisticated styles.
Second influence
Natural environment. Lived in a country town. Enjoyed spending time in the
natural environment; studied the flora and fauna. “I remember my childhood
names for grasses and flowers. I remember where a toad may live …. and what
trees and seasons smelled like.” Relate this to Steinbeck’s descriptions of the
countryside at the beginnings of Chapters 1 & 6.
Third influence
Went to Stanford University to study for a degree in marine biology. However,
spent more time attending creative writing courses and literary clubs. A fellow
student said of him: “John had no other interests or talents that I could make
out. He was a writer – but he was that and nothing else.” He attended university
irregularly and never obtained his degree.
Fourth influence
To maintain himself in his youth and early manhood, Steinbeck worked on farms
and ranches in California. He became familiar with the lifestyles and life
histories of the itinerant workers, the ranch hands and the “bindle stiffs” that
populated these ranches. They were later to become major characters in his
novels. By living and working closely with them, he learned their dialect and
colloquialisms and his ear caught the rhythms of their speech. It meant that in
his novels he could faithfully and authentically reflect their lifestyles, their
concerns and their style of speech..
Fifth influence
His first wife, Carol. She was very much involved in the socialist and charitable
organisations that existed to help the poor and the exploited workers of California.
She encouraged John to join working-men’s organisations, to learn more about the
men who worked on the ranches and farms and to use his writing talents to expose
their exploited and wretched lives to a wider public. During this time, he developed
respect for the resilience of these workers and for the way they managed to keep
going despite having nothing. He noticed that many kept themselves sane and
retaining the will to live by believing in a better future, having a dream that, one day,
life would reward them.
Carol also helped Steinbeck develop his unique writing style. She edited his prose,
persuading him to cut out Latinate words and elaborate phraseology, so he could write
more simply and naturally. She wanted his style to reflect the clarity and simplicity of
American English, not mirror the dense and elaborate prose style of many of the
English authors, whose works he had read in his youth.
Sixth Influence
Edward Flanders Ricketts, marine biologist and amateur philosopher. Steinbeck said
“I grew to depend on his knowledge and his patience in research.” Steinbeck was also
greatly influenced by Ricketts’ private and personal philosophy of life – “acceptance”
– accepting people for what they were and life as it is. Ricketts called this “nontheological” thinking or “is” thinking. Steinbeck adopted this philosophy and wrote
with “a detached quality, simply recording what is.” His first title for “Of Mice and
Men” was “Something That Happened.” Steinbeck and Ricketts spent a lot of time in
each other’s company and Steinbeck often accompanied Ricketts on long sailing
expeditions to study marine life. Steinbeck always incorporated a Ricketts figure in
all his stories. That character was presented as a man of great wisdom, patience and
integrity. In “Of Mice and Men” it is Slim. Steinbeck’s novels also emphasised the
importance and spiritual and emotional necessity of male on male friendship.
Seventh Influence
The economic and agricultural depression that occurred in the USA in the 1930s.
In 1929 the “Wall Street Crash” heralded a decade of severe economic depression that
affected the USA first, but rapidly spread to the rest of the western world. Businesses
collapsed, millions of men were thrown out of work, and there was little in the way of
state aid to prevent them and their families suffering dreadful hardship. Of more
immediate effect on California, where Steinbeck lived, was “The Dust Bowl.” This
was a natural phenomenon. Thousands of square miles of land suffered complete soil
erosion. Decades of poor land management, years of drought and the sudden onset of
very high winds caused all the soil to be lifted into the air and swept away, leaving
behind only unproductive bed rock. This resulted in thousands of farms suddenly
becoming totally infertile and, as a consequence, thousands of families who had
previously led comfortable agricultural lives on pleasant farms were forced to
abandon their land and move around the country looking for work – of which there
was very little. Families broke up, with relatives drifting away from each other, often
never seeing each other again. Thousands of men lost their womenfolk and became
itinerant workers, moving aimlessly from ranch to ranch in search of work. George
and Lennie were two such characters and Steinbeck’s most famous novel “The Grapes
of Wrath” focuses on a family desperately trying to stay together during these years.
STEINBECK’S STYLE IN “OF MICE AND MEN”
Narrative Voice:
Written in the 3rd person “He,” “They.” This allows Steinbeck to produce that
“detached quality” he referred to when commenting upon his decision to incorporate
Rickett’s philosophy of “non-theological” thinking into his narratives. Most of the
story is told in this detached style, though at one point the author’s voice becomes
very distinct when he personally introduces Slim (his Ricketts figure) to the reader.
The two main characters have only minimal authorial introduction and for the most
part, we learn about them and the other characters gradually from what they do and
say. Some of the characters, the boss, Curley and Curley’s wife, are introduced by
Candy. Occasionally, background information is supplied by one of the characters
speaking in his (George) or her own voice.
Structure:
It is a “novella” (short novel) of six chapters. Events of last chapter take place in the
same place as the events of first chapter – giving a “rounded off” feeling to the
narrative. Originally, the story of George and Lennie was written as a play and only
later rewritten as a novel. As a result, the structure of each chapter reflects its origin,
as all the chapters, except the third, begin with a detailed description of the setting. It
is only after the scene has been set that the author brings on the characters. The effect
on the reader is that of the curtain lifting on the stage and a few seconds being given
for them to absorb a sense of place before the actors arrive on stage.
Use of Dialogue.
The novel also reflects its dramatic origins in the amount of dialogue it contains.
Most of the story is told through dialogue. Mostly there is quick alternation between
speakers with only a few instances of monologue (George’s explosion of rage against
Lennie, his account of their history to Slim and the girl’s account of her background.)
Periods of dialogue are interspersed with short descriptions of background features,
such as noises and differences in light – both of which features Steinbeck uses
symbolically, dramatically and to create mood and atmosphere.
Use of Dialect
All direct speech is written to convey the authentic dialect, accent and rhythms of
speech of the Californian working man. For this purpose Steinbeck adopts nonstandard grammar, irregular spellings, shortened forms of words and phrases and
colloquialisms. Most speech is conveyed using simple vocabulary and short sentence
structures, to convey these men’s lack of education and reliance on simple concepts.
The dialect is rough, powerful and vivid, adding life and vibrancy to the narrative
Narrative Prose
All the novel’s narrative prose is written in Standard American English. Steinbeck’s
prose does contain long complex sentences and he uses occasional Latinate words,
but, for the most part, his prose is simple, clear and easily accessible – reflecting the
natural prose style of the average educated American of the mid twentieth century.
Steinbeck’s prose style was strongly influenced by his first wife, Carol, who edited
his work and encouraged him to move away from the elaborate prose of his early
writing, which he derived from his extensive reading of nineteenth century British
authors in his youth.
Descriptive Writing
The novel relies heavily on descriptive writing when the focus is on the natural
environment. When Steinbeck writes about “the brush”, his writing becomes almost
lyrical, beautiful, evocative “song-like” - deep appreciation of natural environment
Paragraphs and sentence structures
Similes, metaphors, symbolism