Of Mice and Men - summary

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Of Mice and Men Coursework Rough copy.

Introduction.

‘Of Mice and Men’ is written by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression in California. The two prominent characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George’s incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. Lots of farm workers would share the dream of all one day owning some land of their own. This dream became very popular and was named the ‘American Dream.’ Its people came from every country and background with the one belief that America would bring them wealth and happiness. For very many others, America offered escape from poverty and starvation. It was a new country, an undiscovered one. In Europe land had always been the key to money and status. Only in America could the poor of Europe hope to own their own land. The country became more and more heavily populated as the word got around of gold mines, and new homes and villages developed creating communities. At its simplest the American Dream was the popular idea that America was a country that allowed men and women to make a clean start. Like all dreams the reality did not always match the dream. However the destruction of the Indians, the American civil war and the creation of city slums were all growing pains of a great country. Yet the dream survived. That is this dream survived until the late 1920s. By then there was no more land to be claimed and America had built up its own rules and laws. This marked the start of the great depression. Farming was badly effected, as over farming had caused huge areas of land to just dry up. This was the creation of the famous ‘dust bowl.’ Poor crops meant that many of the farmers were unable to pay back the debts they had taken out in the first place to buy the land. This meant that the way of life of men such as George, Lennie and slim was coming to an end when ‘of mice and men’ was written. All the events above occurred during the writing of the novel and perhaps suggests that the story is about the end of the American Dream, the social changes and the new reality of living a full American life.

The Setting.

The book opens with a description of the country around the Salinas river, south of Soledad in California. When describing this landscape Steinbeck uses a very wide variety of different colours and animal descriptions in only the first short paragraph. He has a very powerful descriptive style. ‘Lower leaf junctures,’ that are green, then he notes that the deer’s tracks are ‘split wedge.’ This description is used when the author used direct speech. As the two characters give us information about what they think and their personalities by how they talk. This landscape is the appropriate backdrop to the introduction of the two characters George and Lennie because it shows a typical background for migrant workers. Who would travel great distances, either walking, using cheap bus services, hitch hiking or traveling by train. We know that this particular novel strictly focuses on the life of these men from a few short quotes on the first couple of pages. ‘The path beaten hard by boys.’ This line suggests that George and Lennie are following in the footsteps of hundreds of other men. The path had been used to walk to and from work many times which symbolizes the employment  and unemployment of men. Walking the road and trying to achieve the all ‘American Dream’ by making a fortune and living the high life. ‘ The tree worn smooth by men,’ this shows how often migrant workers had collapsed and sat on that log suggesting how tired and utterly exhausted the men were after traveling miles and miles. This proves determination that those men had, to actually make something of their lives. ‘Ash pile made by many fires.’ This conveys the notion of starving men who had set up camp in that area. By lighting fires that kept them warm and fed. The fact that so many fires had been  lit before just proves the amount of people  who had been in that baron area. George and Lennie’s previous job in Weed was probably something to do with farming as they were itinerant farmers. They are drifters who move from ranch to ranch. This means that they are very skilled in various aspects of farm work and labour. The only security these men live on is the hope of more or new work. ’Murray and Ready’s’ was like an employment agency which was set up as a result of President Roosevelt’s new deal which directed migrant workers into agricultural work. From this place George and Lennie had both collected ‘work cards’ which secured their working position and acted as evidence and identity.  They had no permanent home and solely relied on the rough farm accommodation. They carried all their belongings around in a bindle of clothing and cooking utensils which were made portable by wrapping blankets around the outside.

When migrant workers arrive at their work place after traveling and sleeping rough. They often find they have to stay in very simple, poor accommodation. The conditions in which the migrant workers lived were primitive. Bunkhouse walls were whitewashed, the floor unpainted. There were eight bunks in the bunkhouse, which showed that there was a lack of privacy for the men. Even their few personal belongings were on public display "...over each bunk there was nailed an apple-box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves...". The only places for the men to sit were boxes. George saw that the conditions were also unhygienic when he found a can in his apple-box which said "...positively kills lice, roaches and other scourges...". Even the stable buck, who is not permitted to sleep with the other men in the bunkhouse and has his own room, also has to live in primitive and unhygienic conditions. For example "...a manure pile under the window...". One characteristic that the migrant workers share is that they all long for a better life.

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Loneliness.

Loneliness is a very key part of the migrant workers life. They have no time for meaningful friendships or long relationships. Little trust is shared and the men work solely for themselves. Many of the characters are lonely and this motivates them to look for an alternative way of life. This is one of the reasons why there are drifters; they are continually searching often not knowing what they are looking for. Characters are also lonely because of something within themselves, something which seems to make their loneliness inevitable. Different characters seek comfort and solace in different things. For ...

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