American Literature

The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

This collection uses primary sources to explore John Steinbeck&#39;s novella, Of Mice and Men.

An excerpt from a critical study entitled *The Novels of John Steinbeck*, 1939.

Published in 1939 and written by Harry Thornton Moore, this study explores Steinbeck’s novels including *Of Mice and Men*. Moore discusses *Of Mice and Men*’s structure, adaptation to the stage, use of violence without tragedy, as well as Steinbeck’s popularity after the publishing of the novel.

An oil-on-canvas painting entitled *Valley Farms* by Ross Dickinson, 1934.

Ross Dickinson, a native Californian artist, was commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project and created this portrait of lush, verdant farms nestled against the red, unforgiving hills of California. Similar in setting to *Of Mice and Men*, this painting reflects the imagery in the novel. 

An excerpt from a pamphlet entitled *Legislation for the Feeble-Minded* by Miss A. H. P. Kirby, 1914.

In *Of Mice and Men*, Steinbeck describes Lennie Smalls as mentally disabled, although it is never overtly stated. George explains to the boss that Lennie “got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid. He’s awright. Just ain’t bright.” However, the reader soon learns that this is a lie and no further explanation is given about the severity of Lennie’s condition. In the 1930s, there was little understanding of mental disorders, and the treatment was often inhumane. This pamphlet about legislation available to the “feeble-minded” explains how society, government, and the medical establishment viewed those with mental disabilities in the early twentieth century.

A photograph of an insane asylum, 1963.

In this photograph, men are laying on the floor, one with what appears to be a manacle on his leg. Conditions like this were common in insane asylums. George sees no choice but to kill Lennie because institutionalization was a horrific option. Photographer Richard Avedon’s photographs of the East Louisiana State Mental Hospital in Jackson, Louisiana helped with the 1963 institutional reform movement. Avedon planned to send the photographs to President Kennedy. This reform movement eventually led to the Community Mental Health Care Act. While the photograph was taken twenty-five years after the publication of *Of Mice and Men*, it shows that the treatment of patients had not improved. 

A photograph of two migrant workers in California, 1937.

Willard Van Dyke was a photographer and filmmaker. His photographs often provided social commentary on contemporary issues, including American struggles during the Great Depression. This photograph shows two migrant workers in California in front of a Barnum & Bailey Circus sign.

A photograph of workers gathering seedlings in California, 1930.

This photograph shows a migrant worker in San Fernando, California pulling young onion plants from a seedbed to prepare for transplantation into an onion field. This was the type of temporary fieldwork that was performed by migrant workers.

A photograph of migrant workers in San Joaquin Valley, California, 1940.

Due to the high unemployment rate during the Great Depression, many men, young and old, were forced to travel to find work. This photograph, taken in San Joaquin Valley, California, shows the variance of age in migrant workers. George and Lennie would represent the younger migrant workers whereas Candy would have represented the older generation of migrant workers.

A photograph of San Jose State College Speech and Drama Department’s production of *Of Mice and Men*, 1961.

This photograph shows the scene from *Of Mice and Men* in which the men search for Lennie after finding the body of Curley’s wife.

A photograph of men playing cards and drinking in the forest, ca. 1930.

Adam Dove, an associate of photographer Daniel Berry Austin, took this picture of men playing cards in Yosemite National Park. In *Of Mice and Men*, playing cards was a way to pass the time. Solitaire is a game played in the novel, representing the loneliness that was part of the life of a migrant worker.

Robert Burns’s poem “To a Mouse” in *A Primer of Burns*, 1907.

This book contains several of Robert Burns’ poems. Burns was an eighteenth-century Scottish poet whose poem “To a Mouse” was the inspiration for the title *Of Mice and Men*.

A drawing of the ranch of S.M. Hoover in Sacramento County, California, 1879.

Similar to the Soledad, California setting in *Of Mice and Men*, this drawing represents S.M. Hoover’s fruit farm, showing buildings, fenced fields, and crops. The farm was located in Sacramento County, California, approximately one hundred miles outside of Soledad.

An architectural drawing of a small farm and residence, 1930.

The drawing was submitted for the Third Annual Small Farm Home Contest sponsored by the *Los Angeles Times* and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

A political cartoon about World War II by Dr. Seuss, 1942.

Although widely known for his children’s books, Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, was also the chief political cartoonist for the New York newspaper *PM* from 1941 to 1943. He created approximately 400 cartoons about World War II. John Steinbeck also became a World War II correspondent. His articles to the American people were similar in style to his novels: clear and concise, without the use of technical jargon and difficult vocabulary.

A drawing by David Smith titled “Private Law and Order Leagues,” depicting vigilante justice in America, 1938-39.

In the mid-1930s, Smith started sketching for a series of fifteen relief sculptures he called “Medals for Dishonor”—an ironic reference to the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. Smith believed that groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) represented fascism in America. In the background of this study, KKK hats mimicking mountains surround a lynching tree. This drawing portrays the horrors of vigilante justice in the guise of law and order. In a particularly bleak scene in *Of Mice and Men*, Steinbeck portrays race relations during the 1930s when Curley’s wife interacts with Crooks, the only black man on the ranch. 

Questions

1. Read the [excerpt from *The Novels of John Steinbeck*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1802). In the excerpt, Moore discusses how the novella *Of Mice and Men* lends itself to a stage production. He even goes on to say that “the final shaping of it depends upon the artist’s own vision.” What modern actor would you cast in the stage production as Lennie? Who would you cast as George? Think about the characteristics each of these men possesses. Use textual evidence to defend your choice.
2. Read the [excerpt from *Legislation for the Feeble-Minded*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1804). In the novel, Lennie is described as simple-minded, almost childlike. In the pamphlet, where would Lennie fall under the “four classes of mental defectives” within the meaning of the act? Do you think Lennie would benefit from any of the legislation in this act? Why or why not? How does the language in this pamphlet reflect the attitude of the time towards people with disabilities? 
3. Examine the [photograph of the insane asylum](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1805). What can you tell about the conditions of this insane asylum? Why might George not have wanted Lennie to go to such a place?
4. Examine the images of actual migrant workers and migrant worker characters in this set: the [photograph of two migrant workers](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1806), the [photograph of workers gathering seedlings](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1807), the [photograph of workers in the San Joaquin Valley](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1808), the [photograph of the college stage production](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1809), and the [photograph of men playing cards](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1810). Find a piece of textual evidence from the novel that could “caption” each picture.
5. Read the Robert Burns poem “[To a Mouse](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1811).” Steinbeck titled *Of Mice and Men* after this poem. What is the poem about? How does the poem relate to the novella? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
6. How does the [drawing of the ranch](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1812) compare to Steinbeck’s vision of the ranch where Lennie and George work? This drawing depicts a farm sixty years prior to the setting in *Of Mice and Men*. What are some aspects of the drawing that are antiquated?
7. Throughout the novella, George describes the small farm they are going to buy and then “live off the fatta the lan’.” Look at the [architectural drawing of a small farm and residence](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1813). How does this compare to the description George gives Lennie of the stake they plan to buy? How is it different? Do some research. How much would a place like that cost in the 1930s?
8. The [Dr. Seuss political cartoon](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1814) is an allusion to *Of Mice and Men*. What historical event does the political cartoon depict? How does it represent the themes in Steinbeck’s *Of Mice and Men*?
9. From the death of Curley’s wife to the mercy shooting of Lennie by George, violence is prevalent throughout *Of Mice and Men*. How does David Smith’s sketch “[Private Law and Order Leagues](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1815)” depict violence? What images within the drawing stand out in particular? What can you infer about the drawing and its relationship to the scene involving Crooks and Curley’s wife?

Activity

1. Steinbeck opens *Of Mice and Men* with gorgeous imagery to describe the Salinas River Valley, the setting of the novella. Using the [*Valley Farms*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1803) painting as your inspiration, draw/sketch the setting of your hometown. On pages 1-2 of *Of Mice and Men*, Steinbeck paints with his words. Using similar imagery, write a descriptive paragraph to accompany your artwork.
2. Reread the [excerpt from *The Novels of John Steinbeck*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/sources/1802). Moore claims *Of Mice and Men* does not qualify as a tragedy. Do you agree? Write an essay argument supporting your opinion.

Teaching Guide: Exploring John Steinbeck’s *Of Mice and Men*

Resources

1. “[John Steinbeck on the Violent Repression of the Fight for Migrant Workers’ Rights](https://www.thenation.com/article/dubious-battle-california/),“ *The Nation*, March 23, 2015.  
2. “[Farm Labor in the 1930s](https://migration.ucdavis.edu/rmn/more.php?id=788),“ *Rural Migration News*, October 2003.  
3. [Biography](http://www.steinbeck.org/about-john/biography/), National Steinbeck Center. 

Overview

John Steinbeck’s novella *Of Mice and Men* tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant ranch workers in Salinas, California. Published in 1937 and set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, *Of Mice and Men* explores the themes of loneliness and isolation. In a time when every man is for himself to survive, George and Lennie travel together and take responsibility for each other. They are seeking their version of the American Dream: to own a farm together “an' live off the fatta the lan’.” However, dreaming becomes desperation as circumstances continually conspire to rip it away. Because the novella is told in six parts, where each scene has a specific setting and the plot is chronological and dialogue driven, it has also been frequently adapted for the stage. Its first production in 1937 was written and produced by Steinbeck, himself. 

Due to racism, profanity, and violence, *Of Mice and Men* is on the American Library Association’s list of the *Most Challenged Books in the 21st Century*. *Of Mice and Men* is still widely-taught in high schools across the United States eighty years after publication, not only because it is part of the literary canon, but because Steinbeck has packed so many literary devices and complex social issues into a tiny little package. This primary source set includes photographs, book excerpts, and documents that provide context for both events and themes in the novella.

English

*Of Mice and Men* by John Steinbeck

of-mice-and-men_14_f948afcea6f16fcd1b9bdffec1f3b8a5.jpg

Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum via Smithsonian Institution.

Smith, David, “Private Law and Order Leagues (study for medallion, Medals for Dishonor series),” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/f948afcea6f16fcd1b9bdffec1f3b8a5.

A drawing by David Smith titled “Private Law and Order Leagues,” depicting vigilante justice in America, 1938-39.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 14 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck