of mice & men john stienbeck overview

Of Mice and Men Mini-Critique John Steinbeck was born
in Salinas California on February 27, 1902. His mother was a school
teacher in the public school in Salinas. Steinbeck grew up in the beautiful
Salinas Valley which furnished most of the material for his novels. His
mother read to him, at an early age, famous literature of the world which
planted a seed in his imagination. He entered Stanford in 1920,
remaining there until 1925 but never graduating. In 1930 Steinbeck
married Carol Henning. Steinbeck died in 1968. After college,
Steinbeck moved to New York, where he worked briefly for the old New
York American newspaper and helped with the construction of Madison
Square Garden. His first book, Cup of Gold (1929), appeared two
months before the stock market crash and sold about fifteen hundred
copies. Steinbeck returned to California, living in migrant worker camps
to furnish inspiration for writing novels that described the problems and
stresses of the times. Of Mice and Men takes place during the great
depression in the Salinas Valley, California. It is a story about two
farm-hands, George Milton and his large retarded friend, Lennie Small.
George and Lennie are on their way to a farm that has harvesting jobs
available. While camped along side a river George and Lennie talk about
their dreams of someday owning a farm with rabbits for Lennie to take
care of. The next day George convinces the farm boss to hire Lennie and
him. Lennie¹s Love for feeling soft things becomes a problem when he is
playing with a puppy and accidentally kills it. The wife of Curley, the
boss¹s son, comes into the barn to talk to Lennie. The climax comes
when Curley¹s wife lets Lennie feel her hair, but he strokes it too hard and
she becomes scared. Lennie holds her tightly to keep her from
screaming and ends up breaking her neck. The resolution of the story
happens when George shoots Lennie through the back of the head.
George does this for Lennie¹s own good. The main theme of the story is
that, no matter how lowly on the social scale, everyone has the
unalienable right to pursue their individual dreams. While the value of

friendship is another strong point that comes through in the book.Magill,
Frank N. ³Of Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper
Collins Publishers, 1993.³[Of Mice and Men] is perhaps the finest
expression of the writers lifelong sympathy for abused common
people.²Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s Of Mice and Men.
Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966.³Part of Steinbeck¹s greatness
lies in his ability to capture [the] tone of basic reality.² Of Mice and Men is
based solely on the events that transpired in the Salinas Valley during the
great depression. The story accurately shows what life was like among
most people just trying to survive. John Steinbeck actually lived as a
migrant worker during the depression, this is how he managed to so
truthfully portray the lives of the people who were simply striving to make
their lives better.Works CitedAuthor BackgroundHart, James D.
³Steinbeck, John² The Oxford Companion to American
Literature. Oxford University Press, 1983.Salzman, Jack
³Steinbeck, John² The Cambridge Book of American
Literature. Cambridge University Press.Plot AnalysisMagill, Frank N. ³Of
Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper Collins
Publishers, 1993.Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s Of Mice
and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966.CriticismsMagill,
Frank N. ³Of Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper
Collins Publishers, 1993.Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s
Of Mice and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966.Historical
Perspective³Depressions and Recessions² The Book of Knowledge.
Grollier Incorporated, 1993.³United States of America, The: History²
Colliers Encyclopedia. MacMillan Educational Company, 1990.