Literature

Book report

Of Mice and Men

Authors Biography
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. was born on the 27th of February, 1902, in Salinas, California. He was born to John Ernst Steinbeck and Olive Hamilton. John Ernst Steinbeck was Monterey County Treasurer while Olive Hamilton was a school teacher who also loved writing, like John Steinbeck Jr. John Steinbeck Jr. spent summers working on ranches and with migrant workers of Spreckels ranch. He soon found out about the harsh aspects of migrant life and the darker side of human nature which then became expressed in his works. John graduated from Salinas High School in 1919 and attended the Stanford University until 1925. He left college without a degree, and traveled to New York and held odd jobs while he pursued his dream of being a writer. He first failed to get his work published, so he returned to California and worked as a tour guide and caretaker in 1928. He met his first wife, Carol Henning, in the fish hatchery in Tahoe City where he worked. He married Carol in January 1930. He lived in a cottage owned by his father in Pacific Grove, California, for most of his marriage to Carol. His father didnt charge John for staying in his cottage which led them into poverty, but they were saved from the poverty when John published Tortilla Flat in 1935 which became a success. The family then built a summer ranch-home in Los Gatos. John divorced Carol in 1942, marrying Gwyndolyn Conger soon after. In 1944, Gwyndolyn bore him a son, Thomas Myles Steinbeck, and in 1946, she bore another son, John Steinbeck IV. In 1948, Gwyndolyn divorced John, and in June 1949, he married stage-manager, Elaine Scott. This marriage lasted until his death on the 20th of December, 1968, because of heart disease and congestive heart failure in New York.

Setting and Character

George Milton A small, quick-witted man who takes care of his travel companion, Lennie. He constantly rants about how much better his life would be without Lennie to take care of. Lennie Small A big, strong man who has a child-like mind, he loved to pet soft things like mice, satin and velvet. He depends on George for guidance and protection, and he is his travel companion. Lennie tends to harm people, but he does it out of fright, not out of meanness. Candy An aged ranch handyman who lost his hand in an accident. He fears that his uselessness will get him fired from the ranch, so he asked Lennie and George if he could be in on their plan for a better future. Curleys wife Curleys wife is the only female character in this story. She had hopes and dreams for a good future, but ends up as Curleys wife, making her feel lonely because none of the men who works on the ranch talks to her. Curley Curley is the bosss son who is not well-liked. He is a mean and aggressive man who looks for trouble with the larger men because he is not big like them. He is possessive of his newly-wed wife, and he likes to boast about his marriage to her. Crooks Crooks is an African-American man who works in the stables. He is a proud and bitter man, and he is isolated from the rest of the men who works in the ranch because of his skin color. Slim Slim is a very skilled mule-driver, known as the prince of the ranch. He is at peace with himself, and is considered wise by the other workers. Carlson - Carlson is a ranch-hand who likes to complain about the smell of Candys old dog. He convinced Candy to put the dog out of its misery, and he then proceeds to killing the dog himself. The Boss - The boss is a stocky man who is well-dressed. He is in charge of the ranch and is a fair minded and generous man. Aunt Clara - Aunt Clara is Lennie's dead aunt who used to take care of Lennie. She was a kind and patient woman who loves to give Lennie mice to pet. Whit Whit is a ranch hand who is not mentioned a lot in this book. The ranch in the South of Soledad, California the story takes place in a ranch in the South of Soledad, California. The ranch is a pretty nice place to stay in, its filled with a lot of workers.

Vocabulary
1. Bindle -A bundle of bedding and possessions carried by a hobo. 2. Kewpie -A brand name for a small, very plump doll with a topknot, usually made of plaster or celluloid. 3. Hoosegow -Jail. 4. Alfalfa -A plant which has bluish-purple flowers originating in the Near East and is widely cultivated as a forage crop. 5. Riveter -A metal pin for passing through holes in two or more plates or pieces to hold them together, usually made with a head at one end, the other being hammered into a head after being inserted. 6. Hame -Either of two curved pieces lying upon the collar in the harness of an animal, to which the traces are fastened. 7. Aloof -At a distance, especially in feeling or interest. 8. Halter -A rope of strap with a noose or headstall for leading or restraining horses or cattle. 9. Meager -Deficient in quality or quantity 10. Liniment -A liquid preparation for rubbing on or applying to the skin.

Reactions
The book is quite enjoyable, though it is very depressing. My favorite character is definitely Lennie. I like his kind character which doesnt do things out of meanness. He is definitely a nice man, and he should not have died at the end of the book. My favorite part of the book is the part where George gently talked to Lennie before he killed him. That part was really touching and depressing at the same time. It was a huge shock to me that George actually wanted to kill Lennie, it was just a really sad scene. My least liked character in this whole book is Curley. He is too aggressive towards Lennie, and gets into trouble himself when he punched Lennie multiple times. Because of his rash action, he gets his arm crushed by Lennie, and I think Curley deserved it.

Summary
At the beginning of the book, George and Lennie, the two travel companions, walks down a path. When they stopped in a clearing, Lennie drank water from the river. George warns him not to drink it because it might cause Lennie to get sick again, like he was the night before. George decides to stay in the clearing that night. As they prepared their canned beans supper that night, Lennie went across the river to get his mouse back. As the two men sat to eat, Lennie asked for ketchup. This made George rant about how ungrateful Lennie is, but he felt bad for losing his temper and apologizes soon after. The next day, Lennie and George proceeds to make their way to the ranch. The ranch was a pretty packed place, there were lots of workers everywhere. They met up with Candy, a handyman who lost his hand in an accident, in their bunkhouse. The boss appears a moment later asking them why they were late, and George blamed it on the bus driver. They then talked some more, while Lennie stays back and watches them. The two of them gets assigned to work in a team under a man named Slim. Once the boss leaves, Candy, Lennie and George talked a little bit before Curley came into the bunkhouse. He was clearly not well-liked among the men. A moment after he leaves, his wife came in looking for him. Candy showed his dislike of her very clearly, and as soon as she left, they discussed about her. After she left, her husband came in again looking for her. He hurries off angrily when they told him where she went. At the end of the day, Slim agrees to give Lennie one of his newborn puppies. George confessed to Slim about his story and Lennies, and Slim was very helpful by being a good listener. That night, Carlson finally persuades Candy to finally let his dog go, so he took it outside and killed it. The next day, Lennie came into Crooks place. They conversed about stuff before Candy came in the scene and joins in the conversation. Not long after that, Curleys wife came in and asked them where Curley is. Crook doesnt try to hide his dislike of her. After they talked, Crooks told Curleys wife to go away. Its Sunday afternoon when Lennie sits alone in the barn, petting his dead puppys body. Soon after, Curleys wife comes into the barn and starts talking to Lennie. Lennie doesnt want any trouble with her, so he tells her to not talk to him, but she does anyways, and she sat down beside him. They starting talking about things, and as the conversation went to the topic of soft materials, Lennie was asked to stroke her hair. When she told him to get off, he becomes frightened and holds on tighter, eventually breaking her neck. Scared that George might find out, he ran towards the clearing and hides. He began to have hallucinations and felt frightened until George came and reassured Lennie that everything was okay. As he did this, he prepared his gun, ready to shoot Lennie in the back of the head. At that last sentence George said, Lennie was dead on the floor, a clear shot through the back of his head. George killed him with Carlsons gun.