The Role Of Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Words: 461
Pages: 2
Open Document
In the novel Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck focuses the novel on the lives of two migrant workers. During the Great Depression, the migrant workers faced many challenges throughout the novel. John Steinbeck was born in the small town of Salinas, California on February 27, 1902. During his teenage life, he worked on nearby ranches to earn his own money. Steinbeck went to Stanford University, but two years later ended up withdrawing from the school. When the Great Depression hit, Steinbeck began to work on his novel Of Mice and Men. He based the novel off of his ranch experiences and knowledge of migrant workers during the time. Steinbeck worked with George Kaufman who decided to make a play based off of the novel. Of Mice and Men …show more content…
Life as an American worker was completely turned around. The wages were decreased dramatically and labor strikes increased. Men migrated all over the United States searching for work. One critic acknowledges that “The maximum a worker could make was $400 a year, with the average about $300. Yet California's agricultural system could not exist without the migrant workers. It was a problem that would continue for decades” (Telgan, 251). This created a lot of conflict between the workers and the government. Women during the Great Depression were in charge of at home task such as: taking care of the children, cleaning the house, and cooking. Some low income women worked outside of their homes to provide enough for their families. According to this critic “Middle class and/or married women working outside the home were publically criticized in the media and perceived as taking jobs away from unemployed men” (Hall, 234). Women were seen as maids and not as useful and powerful human beings. The Great Depression was a tough time period for both men and women. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men you will see that the color red is used a number of times to symbolize the women in the story. The color red is used to describe the women’s fashion in the novel. “Curley’s wife fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps which were little
Show More

Related Documents: The Role Of Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness And Alienation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

and Alienation in “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men explores many recurring ideas and themes, one of the most prominent of which is alienation. Steinbeck’s characters live in a world plagued by loneliness and isolation. In the story of two migrant workers struggling to get by during the Great Depression, isolation has become the norm. Distrust is the quality of the modern world that causes people choose to live in isolation from each other. (“Of Mice and Men,” 246) racism and prejudice…

Words 1017 - Pages 5

of mice and men Essay

see Of Mice and Men (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Of Mice and Men OfMiceAndMen.jpg First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Ross MacDonald Country United States Language English Publisher Covici Friede Publication date 1937 Pages 187pp. Of Mice and Men is a novella[1][2] written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch…

Words 4351 - Pages 18

Migrant Farm Workers

Hard Life of the Migrant Worker Imagine living in rural California in the 1930's, having no family, no one to love, and no money. Then consider traveling twenty miles by foot to get a job as a farmhand, but upon arrival not being treated any better than the animals on the ranch. This was the brutal reality that most migrant farm workers had to face on their journey of survival and struggle. Despite being a vital part of the United States agricultural industry, migrant farm workers are often overlooked…

Words 2655 - Pages 11

Migrant Farm Workers

Hard Life of the Migrant Worker Imagine living in rural California in the 1930's, having no family, no one to love, and no money. Then consider traveling twenty miles by foot to get a job as a farmhand, but upon arrival not being treated any better than the animals on the ranch. This was the brutal reality that most migrant farm workers had to face on their journey of survival and struggle. Despite being a vital part of the United States agricultural industry, migrant farm workers are often overlooked…

Words 2655 - Pages 11

Of Mice And Men Film Adaptation Essay

Of Mice and Men Film Adaptation Essay A classic novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937 highlighting the relationship between an unlikely pair, and their time spent as labourers working in California’s dusty vegetable fields. 55 years later in 1992 Steinbeck’s novella was created into a motion picture, produced and directed by Gary Sinise. Both the film and the book are equally as good as each other, in their own ways. This can be proven by the choice of actors, the impact of key scenes in both the film and the book…

Words 856 - Pages 4

IBis Essay Shattered Dreams

2012 Fortin 1 Shattered Dreams The novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst share many significant similarities. Both stories revolve around a pair of companions, bound together by family ties, love and loyalty. George Milton and Lennie Small are the protagonists in Steinbeck’s novel. They are migrant workers who travel together in California during the 1930s. Due to Lennie’s mental shortcomings,…

Words 950 - Pages 4

LITERATURE REVISION BOOKLET 1 Essay

English Literature Revision Booklet on the Texts Contents Pg 3 – 20 Of Mice and Men (Unit 1 Section A) Pg 21 – 29 A Christmas Carol (Unit 2b Section B) Pg 30 – 40 Blood Brothers (Unit 2b Section A) Pg 41 – Final Revision Tips *IMPORTANT NOTE!* This revision booklet has been designed to help you learn as much about the books you’ve read as possible. You should use it: complete the tasks and do the extensions tasks because that is revision – not just reading a booklet! **IMPORTANTERER NOTE**…

Words 6597 - Pages 27

Explore the Ways in Which John Steinbeck Presents He Character of Lennie in ‘of Mice and Men’ Essay

Explore the ways in which John Steinbeck presents he character of Lennie in ‘Of Mice and Men’ In this essay I am going to be writing about one of the main characters in John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’. The story portrays the travels and arising problems of two migrant workers who share an uncommon friendship for the time and environment in which the novella is set. Lennie Small is the character I will be exploring and I will start off by giving a detailed explanation of his physical…

Words 2190 - Pages 9