Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • Free Essays • My Term Papers • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - English Of Mice and Men1 Of Mice and Men1 Steinbeck’s career has ranged from novelist to journalist to playwright. He has been acclaimed for novels such as Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. In novels such as these, aspects of Steinbeck’s life history are evident. It is also seen that most of his novels focus around the same central theme “the relationship between man and his environment” (Draper 3373). The theme described is also demonstrated within the novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck’s past relationships and personal life are a great influence in his work. By delving into Steinbeck’s biographies and literary criticisms, a mixture of his life and sympathy for American society was discovered in the novel Of Mice and Men (Draper 3373). John Steinbeck, born February 27th, 1902, in Salinas, California, worked mainly as a field hand, developing many of his characters from the people whom he worked alongside (Rylant et al. 70). His birthplace of Salinas is of major importance to many of his novels. When used as a setting, it tends to put more importance towards the theme “the relationship between man and his environment.” (Draper 3373). Steinbeck also continued to work as a lab assistant and field hand in order to pay for his tuition at Stanford University for six years, which was fruitless because he never aspired to receive a degree (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). His first novel was Cup of Gold (1929), which was a failure, but soon after he came back with the novel Tortilla Flat (1935), which brought him to success. Soon after, in 1937, his novels Of Mice and Men and The Red Pony, were created and from these books his writing became recognized (Rylant et al. 70-1). Steinbeck, in his fiction, displayed contradicting feelings. He clearly shows his sympathy for American society yet also he exhibits his displeasure with it (Draper 3373). The first time Steinbeck wrote for a newspaper publication was when he wrote for William Randolph Hearst’s morning newspaper named the American in 1925 (French 13). He broke into journalism during World War II when he began writing about the war and in addition wrote articles about the war for the government (Rylant et al. 71). Steinbeck was always Pro-America and was continuously supporting American causes. An example of this was during the Great Depression (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). This attitude did not always go over well with certain readers of his novels. During the 1950’s, the quality of his work and his popularity declined. Liberal intellectuals deemed his writing as unsatisfactory, due to the fact that Steinbeck held on to many All-American beliefs and was always pro-government. Steinbeck’s personal life also influenced some of his writing (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). Steinbeck has been married to three different women. In 1930, he married his first wife Carol Henning, and in that same year he met his lifelong friend, Ed Ricketts. In 1943, he divorced Carol and went on to marry Gwyndolyn Conger, and with her he had two sons named Thom and John IV. In 1948, he divorced her and married Elaine Scott in 1950. The relationship that is important and documented is that of Steinbeck and his friend Ed Ricketts. He wrote his nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, on Ed’s and his own sea life research. This research has also been incorporated into the themes of many of Steinbeck’s novels (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). Not only did he write about his human companions, but also his dog. In 1962, he produced the novel Travels With Charley. This was based upon his trip across America with his poodle Charley (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). He was not only successful in his life’s endeavors, but he was also recognized and rewarded for his talent in writing (French 13-15). Throughout his life, Steinbeck received many awards and recognitions. The awards included the Pulitzer Prize (1939) for The Grapes of Wrath, and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1962). He also won the Commonwealth Club of California award for best novel by a state resident in 1935, the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award (1937), and was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 (French 13-5). Six years before his death in 1968, he was also honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for writing (Rylant et al. 71). A very interesting novel of his, also nominated for an award in its play version, is Of Mice and Men (French 13). Of Mice and Men is titled as such due to the poem by Robert Burns named “To a Mouse”. It refers to the mice Lennie kills and, more deeply, to all who are filled only with hurt and pain and have only broken dreams left (Johnson 19). The characters within the book have been categorized as ignorant. According to critic Mark Van Doren, this ignorance is due to their usage of grammar and vocabulary (Bloom and Harold 26). Also, you will see that the theme of the novel revolves around animals and their connections to humans. It also shows the struggle to overcome animal instincts. Characters display animal characteristics (Johnson 15). The main characters, George and Lennie, meet on a ranch in California, a main setting for Steinbeck, where they work together. When they meet the character named Candy, all three decide to make their dream of the farm come true together. Candy will come through with the money, George with his intelligence, and Lennie with his strength (Heiney 234). The relationship shared between George and Lennie is like that of a dog and its master or even a mother and her child. George protects Lennie from everything and without George, Lennie feels helpless (Heiney 233). Their dream for the farm is a symbol of their commitment to each other (Leone et al. 29). A very visible theme within the novella is loneliness. Loneliness is a word often used by George, Crooks, and Slim. The closest town is also named Soledad, meaning “solitary”. To reinforce this them further, George and Lennie only play the card game solitaire (Johnson 19). Many critics also view a theme of paradise and dream of paradise as most important throughout Of Mice and Men, but critic Louis Owens tends to differ. “In his assessment… -the yearning all men have for contact with another living being…” is the most important theme (Leone et al. 29) John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is father to many thoughts, differing ideas, and themes. Each person sees something different within the pages of the book. It is always evident, however, that Steinbeck’s own life plays a big influence in all his novels, specifically this one. The setting of California is related to his hometown. In addition, the use of migrant workers, Lennie and George, relate directly to his days as a field hand. Of Mice and Men documents certain aspects of Steinbeck and his views of American society. Bibliography: Works Cited Rylant, Cynthia, Temple, Frances. Lives and Works: Young Adult Authors. Vol. 7. Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 1999. Draper, James P, ed. World Literature Criticism. 1500 to the present. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1992. “Steinbeck, John Ernst.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 1998 ed. Johnson, Claudia Durst. Understanding Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony, and The Pearl. Connecticut: Greeenwood Press, 1997. Bloom, Harold, ed. Bloom’s Notes: John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. Leone, Bruno, et al, eds. Readings on John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. San Diego: Green Haven Press, 1999. French, Warren G. Steinbeck’s Fiction Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1994. Heiney, Donald. Recent American Literature. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1998. Word Count: 1142
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