Of+Mice+and+Men-+Story+Background

"Of Mice and Men" is a novel written by John Steinbeck. It takes place during the late 1920's/ early 1930's. The novel has multiple settings. I will describe the two most important.


 * 1) A narrow pool that branches off of the Salinas River, surrounded by a grove of Willow and Sycamore trees, and bordered by the Gabilan Mountains. This 'haven' is located just south of Soledad in the California Valley.
 * 2) A workers' ranch surrounded by fields of crops. On the land there is the rancher's house, a bunk house for the workers, and a stable for the horses and mules.

The main characters are George, Lennie, Curley, and Curley's Wife.
 * __George__-a small man with a sharp, dark face; he is quick, has restless eyes, and strong features
 * __Lennie__- a large man with wide sloping shoulders, a shapeless face with large pale eyes; dragging feet, slow speech {he is also mentally retarded} (Lennie's handicap and love for soft things get him in a lot of trouble)
 * __Curley__-a small, short tempered man, he is strong and quick
 * __Curley's Wife__-a very pretty, scandalizing woman who loves to start fights

The supporting characters include Slim, Candy, Carlson, and Crooks.
 * __Slim__-(the skinner) a tall strong man, he is very understanding and friendly
 * __Candy__-an old man with only one hand, thoughtful and open-minded
 * __Carlson__-a "hefty" (fat) man who is self-absorbed and insensitive to others' feelings
 * __Crooks__-(the stable buck) is excluded from social activities because he is black, but he is a friendly, intelligent, understanding man