Symbolism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism to show readers what life during the Great Depression was like for his characters. The Great Depression was an immense tragedy that placed millions of Americans out of work and provided John Steinbeck with plenty of material to write about, from rural labour and economic problems, to social problems in general. A complex interaction of many factors led to the decline and crash of the economy. There were multiple signs of recession before the market crash in 1929. The farm economy, which involved almost 25% of the population, had been depressed throughout the decade. After 1927, new construction declined and auto sales began to drop. Many workers were laid off before 1929. Unemployment reached about 13 million in

The Salinas valley is a vast agricultural region growing anything from garlic, grapes, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, etc. It is known as the 'Salad' bowl. John Steinbeck's writing was heavily focused on the social and economic problems during the Great Depression. Many of his famous works, including the Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, are based on migrant workers living during the Great Depression. Jobs were limited but there was not chaos. The farm life still continued, because the dust bowl did not affect the area. Of Mice and Men is a story about two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who want to achieve the American dream of owning their own land. One of the strongest connections between the Great Depression and Steinbeck's novel is how the need to find work is a challenging one. Lennie and George are introduced to us as vagabonds in the novel. They wander in search of work. They go wherever there is work. They are not working as a part of their own existence. Work is their existence. Similar to the Great Depression, where millions struggled to find work, Lennie and George move from place to place wherever there is a pair of jobs to be