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Of Mice of Men by John Steinbeck

The title stresses how difficult it can sometimes be for even the simplest of dreams to come true. Also plans can go so wrong that they can result in disaster instead of happiness. It also shows how weak people can be in certain situations, when destiny turns against them and everything goes wrong.

The novel is set near a town in Soledad (means lonely in Spanish), a real town in California. The town lies on the Salinas River, Steinbeck was born in Salinas and is knows the place very well.

The book is about the friendship of two men, George and Lennie, who are migrant ranch workers. Lennie was not very bright and quite childlike in his behaviour. He was a big, heavy built person and very strong, too strong that he didn’t know his own strength. He is often described as a child or an animal - he drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands are described as paws. They have travelled to Salinas to work on a ranch, earn enough money and fulfil their dream of owning land.

George is a small man, but has brains and is clever. He has been a good friend to Lennie, ever since he promised Lennie's Aunt Clara that he would care for him. He looks after all Lennie's affairs, such as carrying his work card, and tries to keep him out of trouble.

The novel was written in the 1930s, a period known as The Depression, a time of high unemployment throughout America and many other countries. People would migrate to the western states in the common belief that here was plenty and good fortune for all.

Work was so scarce that people were lucky to get work. Even if the pay was bad or conditions were poor, nobody complained as they were grateful for the work. Work was seasonal, so when the work was completed, the workers had to move on and find employment elsewhere.

Racism was very common during this time. Black people could only live in...