Context l.

o to understand the social and historical context of the novel “of mice and men”

American history: 1930 = The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States,
the set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as
well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work
in a society with few barriers.

 The stock market lost almost 90% of its value between 1929 and 1933.

 Around 11,000 banks failed during the great depression, leaving many with no
savings.

 The average family income dropped by 40% during the great depression.
1920 = The 1920s was a decade of change, when many Americans owned cars, radios,
and telephones for the first time. The cars brought the need for good roads. The radio
brought the world closer to home. The telephone connected families and friends.
Prosperity was on the rise in cities and towns, and social change flavoured the air. A
substantial growth of industry occurred in North Carolina, especially in the areas of
tobacco, textiles, and furniture. Some rural farmers were leaving their farms in order to
receive a regular pay check in the factories. Unions were on the rise. Women shortened,
or “bobbed,” their hair, flappers danced and wore short fancy dresses, and men shaved
off their beards. The main name for this period is called the roaring twenties.

The farmers
To make matters worse, America was also hit by a series of droughts and many farms
could no longer operate. There is a illusion of the promise land. The increase in farming
activity across the great plains states had caused the precious soil to erode and dry. This
erosion, coupled with a seven-year drought that began in 1931, turned once fertile
grasslands into a desert like region known as “dust bowl.” People heard that, in
California, the soil was still good and there was plenty of room and opportunity for work.

Q1. I have learnt that the 1920s was a time of change when many Americans owned
cars. Unions were on the rise. Women shortened or bobbed their hair, flappers danced
and wore short fancy dresses, and men shaved off their beards. The main name for the
1920s was called the the roaring 20s. However, in the 1930s the stock market was failing
90% of the value was lost and the average family income decreased by 40%.

ageism Xenophobia

misogyny
homophobia

Both mice and men can be treated badly we have families we both feel pain we
need food and warmth. America is often referred to as the land of the American
dream.
John Steinbeck wrote the book of mice and men in 1936. This novel and many of
his books, deals with the lives and problems of working people. Steinbeck
wanted to explore the themes of power, ownership and control and their effect
upon ordinary people. Those people strived for a better life, and had hopes and
dreams.
Context l.o to understand the social and historical context of the novel “of mice and men”

River, yellow sands, skittering, split-wedge, foot hill slope curve, Gavilan
mountains, rabbit, `racoon, sycamore tree sand banks, lizard, twinkling, fresh,
deep ,crisp.

My first impressions of Lennie is that he is less intelligent than George. The quote
“the first man was small, strong hands, slender arms, with large, pale eyes, with
wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way
a bear drags his paws” shows how Lennie is sloppy and has not been bought up
well like George , you can also tell that Lennie is lazy, even when he walks. The
entire setting of the bunk house is cold, un-home like, like an institution. The
bunker has no comfort it was built as fast and as cheap as possible, the room is
dark so it causes depression. It is almost like they are in a prison cell. The only
thing they were given was an apple box, which isn’t even proper furnisher, and
that was the only they were given. Kandy has white whispers and Kandy is
scruffy and is not going to get a job. Kandy feels very emasculated.
Boss is a little stocky man he is similar to George but he is described much worse
compared to as how George was described. Lennie is described as animal again
as strong as a bull. the pack is no longer working as a pack so they discard the
worst over time. When George says that he would rather kill him self instead of
being Lennie cousin it for shadows what’s going to happen later in the book.
When Lennie says that they should leave George says no and thinks that they
should stay just because they can drink and play around and this is one of the
mistakes that George makes and changes the rest of the story and would have
prevented Lennie’s death. Lennie would anything that George says, even jump of
a cliff.it is symbolic that we will all be like Kandy because we are mostly treated
the same when we are old.
Curley and wife
When curly is called handy it is ironic as he looses his hand later on. The word
cocky doesn’t actually mean the same thing as it does when we normally use it
(selfish.) Kandy is going to go around a spread the lie. Misogyny – to hate women
and present them in an inferior (both morally , intellectually and physically ) way
in the text. Candy’s married and she got the eye, new bride, only sexual conduct
long patriarchal tradition of inequality. George doesn’t give Lennie good advice.
When curly wife twitches it foreshadows what happens in the future. Poison is
used to describe Curley’s wife telling everyone not to go towards here as she will
only cause problems. Lennie is described an animal again when he is called a rat
and Curley’s wife is the rat trap. Curly’s wife cant actually run away because
there is nowhere to run to and in those days you cant just run away from your
husband.

Slim
slim is majestic and a master craftsman. He has a super man look he is tall and is
the only person who can talk to Curley’s wife because of his authority and
because of his voice he can control all of the horses he is good with women,
animals and good with men so he can pretty much do what ever he wants. He is
the perfect person for everything he can do what ever he wants to do. He is the
first person that has been kind to anyone. Slim is prepared to trim of the excess.
He realises that his bitch cannot feed 9 pups and he drowns them.
Carlson
Context l.o to understand the social and historical context of the novel “of mice and men”

Carlson is the person who killed the dog and he is a big fat rude man. He is not
threatened by Lennie because he is also very big they both call the women and
girl both bitches.
Setting of section 3
This chapter is set in the evening they are in the bunk box. 2 people are sitting
there the only light is pointing on them. This section starts in an media res. It
starts like a detective interviewing a criminal because of the lack of trust to each
other.
notes

The dog is a metaphor in section 3 of the text. George and Lennie has to share
rooms but they are dreaming of their future house where they would have their
ow n rooms. George said that he should have shot the dog him self.in chapter 4
Lennie is uncontrollable as he cant let go of his hand.

Crooks
He is not allowed in the bunk house. Stein beck uses the work negro and not
Niger to show respect. People who are slim in this book means they are smart
and if they are fat they are dumb. His name refers to his crooked back.

section 4/5
There is a long box filled with straw. The room is used to repair harness and
crook lives there he is a master craftsman he is very important on the ranch for
everything to be up and working. Crook is irreplaceable he is a cripple because
his back is broken and he wont get a job anywhere else. Crooks was a proud,
aloof man. Crooks is a man who is always in pain. Most of the people on the
ranch is isolated but crooks is the most isolated. Lennie has always believed in
the dream and so does George and candy now. Crooks would rather be a slave in
paradise than a free man In hell. Curly’s wife is the reason that the dream does
not come true because she is a rat trap and Lennie kills her. With entrance of
Curly’s wife has killed everything to do with the dream. Curly’s wife is the
loneliest character in the ranch, Lennie does not spot danger but the other two
do. Stein beck leaves the last reveal of Curly’s wife back story till last. Steinbeck
calls Curly’s wife the girl unlike the others in the novel. Old sheep, candy is
beyond anyone’s use, he is not useful anymore. Curly’s wife is the only person
who walks into that room and cannot escape. Curly’s wife was trying to use
Lennie and George to get somewhere else and women who work have to also
quit their job. Lennie does not realise that killing a person is much more serious
than killing a mouse.

Section 6
The snake is a another victim in this story. Steinbeck shows that even in paradise
bad things happen. The pathetic fallacy is used to symbolise that everything is
not alright in paradise. The heron and the snake presents Lennie and George.
The harsh gusts of wind show how there is disturbance in paradise. Aunt Clara is
using Georges words against Lennie all the important people in his life has
merged together to make Lennie feel guilty . you can see that Lennie’s death is
arriving soon as George is not telling him of and he is just taking in what Lennie
is saying. Lennie is keeps asking George if he is going to give him hell. Before
Context l.o to understand the social and historical context of the novel “of mice and men”

Lennie dies he asks George to repeat the dream one last time and just as George
gets towards the end of the dream George hears the shouting of the men and
tells Lennie to look at the pond and he shoots Lennie at the back of the head
where the skull and spine meets.
Isolation
Death
The friendship
The dream

Write a paragraph explaining why Steinbeck portrays Lennie as an animal?

Steinbeck portrays Lennie as an animal by the way he is described such as in the
fight scene when George says “Get ‘im, Lennie “this shows how you say” Get
‘im” to a dog or a different animal. A description of Lennie that is said is “huge
paws” and “big fingers” these two phrases shows that his hands are the size of a
bears hand. “Lennie avoided the bait” at this point Lennie is being smart and
avoiding doing something terrible again but is still being compared to an animal
as only animals respond to bait such as fish. Lennie has diminished response of
his actions. We are much more inclined to feel sorry for the puppy rather than
Lennie and encourages sympathy for the reader. In this story the adults do not
take care of Lennie even though he is behaving the same way as an animal.

List Lennie’s criminal actions in the novella?

 He kills a puppy
 He kills the mouse
 He kills Curly’s wife
 He grabbed onto a girl
 He went into Crooks room without permission

Context
 America disabilities 1930’s America
 Freak shows
 Sterilisation
 Abnormal and a burden
 Institutions away from family