John Steinbeck relates his personal experiences during the Great Depression to bring life to the characters in his novel, Of Mice and Men. ... John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place during an era in the Depression known as the Dust Bowl. ... John Steinbeck's father owned much of the farm land in the Salinas Valley, where John worked fruit picking, and doing odd jobs to earn some extra money when he was a young man in the 1920's and 1930's. ... Steinbeck depicted much of his father's farm, to create the scenery, and background of his famous novel, Of M...

• Word Count: 929
• Approx Pages: 4

There characters speak of the common man and his struggles, his small triumphs but mostly of his defeats. ... This can be confusing at times because his portrayal of women differs so drastically from book to book. ... In Of Mice and Men there are also many examples of the cruelty of the world. ... This exemplifies the cruelty of the world that people think a man is like a fruit; you eat the fruit and then throw away the peal. ... One character that had to endure racism in Of Mice and Men is Crooks. ...

• Word Count: 2022
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Of Mice and Men also reflected Steinbeck's personal experiences. ... One of the books that influenced him the most was the Bible, though he was never a religious man (O'Connor, pp 15-6). Steinbeck believed that a book (the Bible) was much realer than experience (O'Connor, p16). ... Throughout the entirety of the book, there are numerous references to God, Jesus, Moses, and Biblical stories. ... Steinbeck, John, Of Mice and Men, Triangle Books, New York, 1938. ...

• Word Count: 1509
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

The main theme of the book is the fear of loneliness and the need to dream that all men innately have. ... Racism against blacks is especially evident in Of Mice and Men, in which Crooks, a black disfigured man, is forced to live in a different place than all the other white men. ... The role of the family in Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath is very apparent. ... She is devastated yet again when her child is born stillborn, but at the end of the novel she feeds a dying man with her breastmilk. This is symbolism for the maturity she has achieved over the course of the book. ...

• Word Count: 1752
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School