Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Of Mice and Men with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, which follows two ranch workers, George and Lennie, as they look for work in California during the Great Depression. Like many of their contemporaries, they dream of earning enough to buy their own farm and living a peaceful, independent life, but they soon find that the deck is stacked against them and that even the most well-intentioned actions can have tragic consequences. Of Mice and Men is arguably Steinbeck’s most popular book, and has inspired numerous adaptations across a range of mediums. Steinbeck is best-known for chronicling the hardship faced by itinerant workers in his native California, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining […] sympathetic humour and keen social perception”.

Find out everything you need to know about Of Mice and Men in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Dec 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9782806270573

Book preview

AMERICAN WRITER

Born in Salinas (California) in 1902.

Died in New York in 1968.

Notable works:

Tortilla Flat (1935), novel

The Grapes of Wrath (1939), novel

East of Eden (1952), novel

The American writer John Ernst Steinbeck is best-known for his novels and novellas, which tend to be set in his native California and focus on the difficult living conditions of rural populations. He also worked as a reporter for the International Herald Tribune during the Second World War (1939-1945).

In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his literary output as a whole. Several of his novels have been adapted for the cinema, and these adaptations have contributed to the popularity of his work.

THE ESSENTIAL ANIMALITY OF HUMANKIND

Genre: novella

Reference edition: Steinbeck, J. (2000) Of Mice and Men. London: Penguin.

1st edition: 1937

Themes: friendship, dreams, the Great Depression, violence, death, poverty

Of Mice and Men was first published in 1937 and tells the story of Lennie Small, a physically imposing, prodigiously strong man with learning difficulties, and George Milton, a small, quick-witted man, who work together on a ranch in southern California and are