Accounted an American classic and a high school literary staple, Of Mice and Men is one of John Steinbeck's nearly famous stories. This novella follows the journey of 2 men as they search for a better life on the Westward Coast. Throughout the story, Steinbeck explores themes of isolation, nature, friendship, and the American Dream, all of which are every bit relevant today as when the novel was start written.

Students reading Of Mice and Men would profoundly benefit from receiving preliminary background data about the Great Depression, especially the plight of migrant workers. Like George and Lennie, many people traveled across the country in pursuit of the American Dream, only to find that the poor economy and lack of steady jobs fabricated settling downwards difficult. As they read, your students tin analyze the means in which Steinbeck's portrayal of George and Lennie provides commentary on the era'due south social climate.

Analyzing the volume'due south title will also assistance students improve understand fundamental themes. Steinbeck adjusted the championship from Robert Burns'south poem "To a Mouse," in which Burns expresses his regret after he accidentally destroyed a mouse'south nest while farming. Subsequently reading the novella, share the poem with your students, focusing on the line "The all-time laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go wrong). In what ways do Burns's sentiments parallel the themes in Of Mice and Men?

When educational activity Of Mice and Men, be prepared to discuss the ethical dilemmas present in the novella, especially when examining the story'south controversial catastrophe. The circumstances surrounding Lennie'due south decease provide smashing cloth for classroom debate and intriguing conversations about the grayness area between right and wrong.

Go along reading for more data on teaching this archetype novella!

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

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Summary of Of Mice and Men

Key Facts

  • Publication Date: 1937
  • Length: 107 pages
  • Lexile Measure: 630
  • Recommended Grade Band: ix-10

George and Lennie have a dream of one 24-hour interval owning a slice of land, only for now, they're migrant workers. After arriving at a ranch in California, George does his best to keep Lennie, who has an intellectual disability, out of trouble.

I solar day in the barn, Lennie accidentally strangles the married woman of one of the farmhands after he misunderstands her flirtatious advances. He flees the scene before the other farm workers detect her body. George finds Lennie alee of the others and tells him to imagine their dream. He then shoots Lennie, ultimately killing him to relieve him from the mob.

Content Warning: Of Mice and Men contains violence and profanity, including racial slurs.

What Your Students Will Beloved Most Of Mice and Men

  • The naturalist imagery of the American mural in the Great Depression
  • The social and ethical commentary that the narrative provides

Potential Student Struggles With Of Mice and Men

  • Some challenging dialect
  • The novella's grim catastrophe

Learning Objectives for Of Mice and Men

  • Recognize and explicate the allusion in the title, Of Mice and Men.
  • Understand how the novella reflects the naturalist literary movement.
  • Discuss how Steinbeck explores the theme of isolation throughout the novella.
  • Translate the ranch every bit a microcosm of America during the Low.
  • Examine how Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe Lennie.

Literary Elements in Of Mice and Men

  • Allusion
  • Disharmonize
  • Foreshadowing
  • Imagery
  • Microcosm
  • Naturalism
  • Symbolism
  • Theme
  • And more than!

Major Themes in Of Mice and Men

The American Dream — Lennie and George long for a better life tending to their ain piece of land, simply that dream seems highly unattainable given the social climate.

Related Works:

  • The Bully Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams
  • Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller

Isolation — As migrant farm workers, George and Lennie struggle in their isolation to maintain their companionship.

Related Works:

  • Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • Grendel, past John Gardner
  • Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Nature — While Lennie finds a sense of comfort in nature, other characters interfere with the natural order, such as when Carlson kills Candy's dog.

Related Works:

  • Into the Wild, past Jon Krakauer
  • The One-time Man and the Body of water, past Ernest Hemingway
  • Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Other Resource for Of Mice and Men

  • Of Mice and Men has been adapted for the screen several times. The showtime film version debuted in 1939 and received four Oscar nominations. The 1939 movie was based on the 1937 stage play inspired past the novella. A more than recent version premiered in 1992, starring Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lennie.
    • Of Mice and Men (1939), directed by Lewis Milestone (Picket trailer)
    • Of Mice and Men (1992), directed past Gary Sinise (Lookout man trailer)
  • Of Mice and Men Downloadable Quiz Game
  • Activity - Of Mice and Men and Migrant Farm Workers of the Great Low
  • 7 Things John Steinbeck Taught Us About The Smashing Depression
  • John Steinbeck Biography

Gild Of Mice and Men Resource from Prestwick House

Resource Format
Of Mice and Men Paperback Student Edition
Of Mice and Men Teaching Unit of measurement Reproducible Downloadable xxx-Book Set
Of Mice and Men AP Educational activity Unit of measurement Reproducible Downloadable xxx-Book Prepare
Of Mice and Men Activity Pack Reproducible Downloadable 30-Volume Set
Of Mice and Men Response Journal Reproducible Downloadable thirty-Volume Fix
Of Mice and Men Multiple Critical Perspectives Reproducible Downloadable xxx-Book Set up
Of Mice and Men Levels of Agreement Reproducible Downloadable 30-Book Set
Of Mice and Men Consummate Teacher'southward Kit Reproducible Downloadable 30-Book Set