Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The book Of Mice and Men was written by author John Steinbeck. The genre of this book is based on tragedy and historical fiction. The setting of the book, Of Mice and Men, takes place in the Salinas Valley in northern California. The time setting of this book is in the mid-1930s during the great depression. The main characters of the novel are Lennie Small; a large man with the mentality of a child, and George; a good hearted man and motherly type figure to Lennie. The two men, as many others during this time period, are not doing financially well. They work on a farm and live in a bunk house. The men have to work to make a living otherwise they could not survive. The Great Depression influenced John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men greatly.
John Steinbeck was born February 27th, in 1902, and died on December 20th, 1968.
John Steinbeck’s novels can all be classified as social novels dealing with economic problems. (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html). The Great Depression was an economic crisis that started with the stock market in 1929. The Great Depression was an immense tragedy that put millions of Americans out of work or unemployed. The great depression was the beginning of government involvement in the economy and society as a whole. The day the stock market crashed is known as the beginning of this horrific event. On October 29th, 1929, the United States was thrown into an economic despair which is also known as Black Tuesday. “During the Great Depression, millions of people were out of work across the United States. Unable to find another job locally, many unemployed people hit the road, traveling from place to place, hoping to find some work. The farmers who had lost their homes and land usually headed west to California, where they heard rumors of agricultural jobs.” (history1900s.about.com › ... › Decade By Decade ›
1930s). The novel, Of Mice and Men, is based on the influential time period of the Great Depression. “That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look- I’ll give him the work tickets, but u aint gotta say a word.” (Page 6). This quote shows that the men are unemployed as well as in literate, lacking education, during this time. Another quote is, “well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” (Page 81). This quote displays the racism and segregation that was present during the time period of the Great Depression. A third quote is “What kinda harm am I doin’ to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell u I aint used to livin like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.” (Page 88). This quote from Curley’s wife demonstrates how women were treated when married to working husbands during the mid-1930s. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, was influenced by the tragedy of the Great Depression.