John Steinbeck

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John Steinbeck

• (1902-1968)

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John Steinbeck

• born February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California,
  to John and Olive Steinbeck
• had three sisters
• married three times

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Salinas, California

• the Salinas Valley and the Monterey coast provide
  the setting for several of Steinbecks stories,
  including Of Mice and Men
• worked as a ranch hand and fruit picker in
  California

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Steinbeck, The Writer

• entered Stanford University in 1920
• published stories in school literary magazine
• excelled in science classes
• left after four years, just short of earning a
  degree
• 1925 moved to New York to work as a reporter
  worked as a painter and construction worker after
  being fired

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Literary Works

• 1929 published first novel, Cup of Gold
• 1935 published Tortilla Flat, first commercial
  success
• 1939 published The Grapes of Wrath, won the
  Pulitzer Prize
• 1947 published The Pearl
• 1962 won the Nobel Prize for Literature for
  Travels with Charlie, an account of his travels
  around the U.S. with his poodle

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Movie Adaptations

• 29 Academy Award nominations and 4 Academy Awards
  have been given for adaptations of John Steinbeck
  stories

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Of Mice and Men

• By John Steinbeck

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Setting

• California Salinas Valley
• 1930s Depression
• Takes place over only 3 days (Thursday-Sunday)

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Style

• Play-novelette
• each section begins with a description of the
  setting
• characters are developed primarily through
  dialogue
• the action occurs over a brief period of time
  (three days)
• point of view is third-person omniscient

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Style continued

• Extensive use of imagery (especially details of
  nature)
• Realistic novel (use of slang, profanity and
  unrefined pronunciation characterize the
  uneducated, poor farm workers)

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Main Characters

• George - trim man with sharp features quick
• Lennie - huge man mentally challenged innocent

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Minor Characters

• Candy - good-hearted gossip lost one hand in a
  ranch accident
• Curley - the boss's son cocky likes to fight
  mean-spirited
• Curley's wife - source of trouble lonely
• Slim - kind respected understands people
• Crooks - stable hand only black character (used
  to illustrate the effects of racism)

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Social Issues

• poverty
• homelessness
• people with disabilities
• prejudice - racism, sexism, age discrimination