Of Mice and Men – Note on the Setting
The novel is set near the town of Soledad, a real town in southern California.
The town lies on the Salinas River, an area with which Steinbeck was well acquainted as he was born in the town of Salinas, further to the North.
The first chapter takes place beside the river, while the central portion of the book takes place on the ranch where George and Lennie find jobs.
Again, Steinbeck knew this kind of place well as he had worked as a ranch-hand and casual labourer.
The last chapter returns to the river, to the exact spot where the story started, giving a kind of symmetry to the structure of the novel.
The background to the novel is also important. Climatic changes had turned large areas of the American West into a dustbowl of infertile land.
Many farmers lost their farms and were forced into the life of itinerant workers. Their numbers were swelled by large numbers of unemployed due to the Depression of the 1910's.
Since so many workers were available, pay and conditions were very poor, as farm-owners exploited the situation.
Much of the work was seasonal, so these workers seldom settled in one place, and were forced to lead a solitary life, seldom with a family.
John Steinbeck was deeply concerned about the plight of these poor farmers and itinerant workers, as may be seen in his most popular book, The Grapes of Wrath.
To get a deeper insight into the background and social conditions of the time, as well as the writing style of Steinbeck, it is recommended that you read The Grapes of Wrath.
The town lies on the Salinas River, an area with which Steinbeck was well acquainted as he was born in the town of Salinas, further to the North.
The first chapter takes place beside the river, while the central portion of the book takes place on the ranch where George and Lennie find jobs.
Again, Steinbeck knew this kind of place well as he had worked as a ranch-hand and casual labourer.
The last chapter returns to the river, to the exact spot where the story started, giving a kind of symmetry to the structure of the novel.
The background to the novel is also important. Climatic changes had turned large areas of the American West into a dustbowl of infertile land.
Many farmers lost their farms and were forced into the life of itinerant workers. Their numbers were swelled by large numbers of unemployed due to the Depression of the 1910's.
Since so many workers were available, pay and conditions were very poor, as farm-owners exploited the situation.
Much of the work was seasonal, so these workers seldom settled in one place, and were forced to lead a solitary life, seldom with a family.
John Steinbeck was deeply concerned about the plight of these poor farmers and itinerant workers, as may be seen in his most popular book, The Grapes of Wrath.
To get a deeper insight into the background and social conditions of the time, as well as the writing style of Steinbeck, it is recommended that you read The Grapes of Wrath.
