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Of Mice and Men

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Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck 1902-1968 – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Of Mice and Men


1
Of Mice and Men
  • John Steinbeck
  • 1902-1968

2
Style of Novel
  • Steinbeck set out to create a new lit. form
  • Some call the book a play-novelette
  • He developed the charac.s through speech and
    action rather than letting the reader in on their
    thoughts
  • He starts each scene with a description of the
    setting, much like a play is staged around its
    sets
  • The action in each chapter follows the pattern of
    drama
  • Dialogue is used to reveal characters

3
Language of the novel
  • Steinbecks language in his descriptions of
    nature is full of imagery and metaphor
  • Since the story is about laborers, it is
    appropriate that their dialogue is unrefined and
    realistic
  • Slang, profanity, and uneducated pronunciation
  • The coarseness of the language contrasts with the
    tender motives of the main characters

4
Point of view
  • Story is told through third person, objective
    point of view
  • Reader is not directly let in on the thoughts of
    the character or their feelings about themselves
    and others
  • Reader must draw his/her own conclusions
  • Helps reader feel the information presented is in
    a straightforward manner and that no information
    has been left out

5
Setting
  • Time period and physical setting determine the
    mood and help the unfolding of the plot
  • The time is during the Depression years, when
    people had little but the clothes on their backs
  • Many were homeless and wandered the countryside
    picking up odd jobs

6
Setting
  • The place is a small ranch near Salinas River in
    Cali.
  • His descriptions of the riverbank and barn scenes
    contrast with the bunkhouse setting
  • The natural scenes evoke a sense of beauty and
    openness
  • The indoor scenes evoke starkness and imprisonment

7
Themes in novel
  • Friendship
  • Loneliness
  • Indifference of the world
  • Worth of an individual

8
Naturalism
  • Saw reality as a work of natural forces
  • Ones destiny was decided by
  • Heredity
  • Environment
  • Physical drives
  • Economic circumstances
  • These things are uncontrollable and help shape
    who we become and what happens to us

9
Title
  • The title Of Mice and Men is an allusion to a
    Robert Burns poem titled To a Mouse
  • In the poem, one significant line reads the best
    laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.
  • Keep this in mind as the story unfolds.
    Determine for yourself how this relates.

10
Misc. Info
  • All characters are portrayed as either victims or
    predators except Slim
  • George and Lennie are searching for goodness,
  • for their version of paradise,
  • yet the laws of nature, the cold realities of an
    uncaring world, seem to prevent them from
    attaining their reward
  • Novel touches on human struggle to reconcile our
    notions of what could and should be and what
    often is

11
John Steinbeck
  • Born in Salinas, California
  • This was the setting for a number of his works
  • Went to Stanford University in 1920
  • Attended for four years but did not earn a degree
  • While there, he took writing courses
  • Primary interest in college was in scientific
    fields, especially marine biology

12
  • Moved to New York in 1925 and for two years was a
    reporter for New York American
  • Eventually lost this job because his writings
    contained more reflection than fact
  • He held many odd jobs before becoming a writer
    a ranch hand and fruit picker were just two of
    the many

13
  • Much of his writing during the 1930s dealt with
    social issues
  • Wrote a book about the strike of California
    fruit-pickers and was then asked to write about
    the life in the camps of the migrant workers
  • Researched the articles through first-hand
    experience

14
  • Of Mice and Men ( published in 1937) and The
    Grapes of Wrath both were written after Steinbeck
    saw the inhumane conditions and hunger the farm
    owners allowed
  • Both novels express the dreams and everyday
    existence of down-on-their luck workers in their
    own language
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