Of mice and men

Novel introduction
1. The novel of mice and men written by the Nobel prize winner John Steinbeck was published in
1937 and evolves around the two character George and Lennie who play the role of two
migrant ranch workers during the great depression in California, United States of America.
Context
2. Context plays a major role in this book and several detailed quotes are used in the novel to
explain the context. This novel is set in California United States as mentioned in the book
through the quote "A few miles south of Salinas, the Salinas river drops in close to the hillside
bank and runs deep in green". This tells us that the novel is set south of Salinas (California).
The time of the novel is determined by the quote " from outside came the clangs of horseshoes
on the playing peg and the shouts of men playing, encouraging, jeering. This quote tells us
that the novel is set somewhere around the 1930 as people stopped playing with horseshoes
long before the 21st century. Value is also seen throughout this novel through the quote This is
just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see?". This shoes
value as crooks was a black man and it shows how much value the blacks had during the time
period.
Main Characters
3. There are many characters throughout this novel but the main characters consist of George,
Lennie, candy curleys wife, curly and crooks. George and Lennie are the two characters the
story revolves around. Lennie and George are rather different in fact the complete opposite.
Lennie is described as a really tall man and tough man with a rather childlike personality. This
is seen evident through the quote behind him walked his opposite a huge man, shapeless of
face, and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little like a way a bear drags his paws.
However, George is described as a small, intelligent hardworking man. This is seen throughout
the quote the first man was small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp strong
features.
Curley is the son of the boss whose ranch George and Lennie worked at. He is often depicted
as a rude, arrogant, someone who picks a fight just to prove himself on the ranch. A quote
used to describe him in the novel is Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He's
alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy..
Curleys wife is not given as much respect in the novel as she is referred to as Curleys wife
and is not referred to as, with her own name. She is portrayed as a good-looking woman who
wears ostrich feathered heels, makeup and for fitting dresses. A quote from the novel that
described her was She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Now
her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly.
Crooks is a black American who is disabled and named crooks after his crooked back the
quote that describes him is ya see the stable bucks a niggerGot a crooked back where a
horse kicked him. Candy is however a swamper (old ranch worker) and has lost a hand in a
farm accident. He is described as an old swamper in the novel
Context affecting characters
4. The context affects the main characters which includes, George, Lennie, Curley, Curleys wife
and crooks in many ways. Firstly, Lennie is affect by the context of the novel as it is set during
the time of the great depression, the time when the disabled were thought low of and were not

given the respect they deserved. Curleys wife was affected by the context of the novel as
during the great depression women were thought lower than men and were given no respect.
This is further demonstrated throughout the book as Curleys wife is referred to as Curleys
wife and is not given her own identity and name. Crooks is also a disabled character but he is
also a black citizen. This meant that he got the least amount of respect out of all character. The
blacks were often given less respect during the great depression and so were the disabled.
Crooks is seen to have been affected throughout the novel as he was often referred to as a
nigger Hence you can see that context affected the characters in different ways.
.
Rules
5. Throughout this novel many rules are broken whether on purpose or by accident rules were still
broken. One character who broke rules several times was Lennie. whether it was the societies
rules or his own friends. An example of when Lennie broke Georges rules was when he was
told not to pick up any more mice, as he killed one every time he did so. he broke the rule by
picking up the mice. Consequences of this is that Lennie get shouted at and George picks up
the mice and throws it way. Curleys wife breaks the rules because she is a lady and sits among
men. Societies rule is that women are at lower standard then men hence she breaks the rules.
The consequences of that is that she is seen as a downgraded women and referred to as a
tart Lennie also breaks societies rules when he enters crooks room. Societies rule is that
white people do not enter the rooms of a black person. However, Lennie enters the room. The
consequence of this is that crooks throws Lennie out of his room.
Genre
6. The novella Of mice and men could be categorised under the realism, tragedy and drama
genre. I believe this because of the way Steinbeck often refers to Lennie as an animal I find
this quiet dramatic. This is further enforced by the quotes "snorting into the water like a horse"
or dragging his feet a little like a bear drags his paw. Hence proving that the novel of mice
and men fits into the genre of realism, tragedy and drama.
Tone
7. The tone of our text of mice and men is realistic. This is because it is set and based on during
a real event, the great depression. Another reason for this is because he contracts poverty,
social rules, violence, limited resources, human tolerance/ intolerance and real life activity into
the story. For example, the fact that they are ranch workers and have to tolerate so much of the
bosses and colleges pressure just because they need money and a job. This is further evident
with the quote "Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna
laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella.". Curley says this trying to pick a fight with Lennie when
had done nothing wrong. So this shows the tone being realistic as people have to go through a
lot of trouble in life to achieve their goals and in this case Lennie and Georges goals was the
American dream. To have their own house, ranch etc.
Structure
8. The narrative structure of the story is a circular plot and is written in third person. The structure
is omniscient through most of the characters in the story and there is only one narrator in the
novel making it easier to understand. There are very few flashback and so it is more of a linear
narrative.

9. A very colloquial language is used throughout the novel of mice and men. Binary opposition is
used several times
Essay
10. How does the novel reflect aspects of the context of the composer?
Of mice and men, a Nobel prize winning novel composed by john Steinbeck, was published in 1937 and
revolves around the two characters George and Lennie who play the role of two migrant workers during the
great depression in Salinas California. This novel reflects the aspects of context of the composer john
Steinbeck through many different quotes and techniques.
Initially of mice and men set in Salinas California reflects aspects of Steinbecks context {place} through the
use of juxtaposition. This evident at the beginning of the novel when the composer states A few miles south
of Salinas the Salinas river runs deep and greenthe water is warm for it has slipped twinkling over the
yellow sand in the sunlight before reaching a narrow pool. Steinbeck describes the Salinas river with
exaggeration and more beauty. However, throughout the book the place is rather seen as a ranch. With
further research according to google John Steinbeck the composer of the novel of mice and men was born
and bought up in Salinas California. Thereby proving that the novel reflects the context of the novel, as the
novel is set in Salinas and Steinbeck was born in Salinas.
Additionally, the time this novel was set in was during the period of the great depression. During the great
depression everyone was believed to have the American dream. The dream of having their own house,
ranch etc. This seen evident through the use of colloquial language when George states ok someday were
gonna get the jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an cows and some
pigs. The quote tells us that this story was set during the great depression in the 1930s, which also tells us
that Steinbeck would have gone through similar aspirations and desires at the time to be able to know so
much about the time period. The time this novel was set in is also illustrated through the use of an
onomatopoeia when stein beck illustrates from outside came the clangs of horseshoes on the playing peg
and the shouts of men playing, encouraging, jeering this shows time as people played with horse shoes
during the 1930s and in todays generation this sort of activities are very uncommon. Therefore, the novel
reflects the context of the composer as Steinbeck had to have experienced the time period to be able to
have such accurate knowledge about it.
Lastly, context is seen through the value of characters in the novel. The disabled, women and blacks were
given injustice to during the time of the 1930s and this is seen through the use of a metaphors, similes,
personifications and onomatopoeia in of mice and men with Curleys wife, crooks, and Lennie. Crooks is a
black American and during the great depression the blacks were not treated very well. The societies rules
were that whites were not to enter the rooms of a black person. Value is seen in the novel through the use of
a metaphor when the novel States This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean
nothing, see?". The composers context is hence seen as Steinbeck was born before this time period and
knows exactly what happen during the time of the great depression. Curleys wife who is an outlaw, who sits
among men and is portrayed as a good looking woman. She is ill-treated throughout the novel as she is not
given her own sense of identity and is referred to as Curleys wife. Disrespect for woman is seen throughout
the novel through the use of a metaphor when George states looks like Curleys married a tart. The
composers context is therefore seen throughout the novel as he has put so much detail in to describing the
different issues during the great depression and this proves that john Steinbeck has seen and experienced
the way people were treated during the time.
In conclusion the composers context has been reflected in the novel of mice and men through the many
quotes and techniques present in the novel.