The Role of Setting in John Steinbecks Of Mice Men Essay

The Role of Setting in John Steinbecks Of Mice Men Throughout time man has encountered many trials and tribulations. One of these unpredictable changes was the depression era in the Western region of America. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Of Mice Men (1937), by John Steinbeck, life is portrayed as cruel and an insurmountable conquest. During the 1930s the worst economic collapse of the world occurred : the Depression. The setting throughout this novel sets the emotions high because of the hardships that were encountered by two men looking for work. These men were George Milton and Lennie Small. George was small and quick and hard of the face, and had sharp strong features (9). Lennie was the opposite a huge†¦show more content†¦This is telling of how the sand is soaking up the water and the temperature out side is blistering. In chapter two Steinbeck portrays bunkhouse as being not so cozy but because of the shortage of money the eight men had to sleep in the same room and only the bare necessities were given to them. Against the walls were eight bunks, five of them had blankets on them and the other three showing their burlap ticking. Over each bunk there was a nailed apple box that had two shelves which were loaded with soap, talcum powder and razors (34). This shows that all that you need is what you have and nothing more. There were no extra little things like candy or soda to fill someones desires because of the huge increase in American poverty. There happened to be playing cards that initialed gambling. Gambling became huge during the depression and so did prostitution. In the middle of the room stood a big square table littered with playing cards (34). These little details give a picture perfect description to the time that we are dealing with. Furthermore, Steinbeck gives a feeling of sadness and despair from the words of his novel in chapter three. He states Although there was evening brightens showing through the windows of the bunk, in side it was dusk. They called it the depression era for one reason: people became depressed. They wantShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck: An American Writer During the Great Depression1315 Words   |  6 Pagescommon people, especially those at the very bottom of the society. (Wang, 2012) John Steinbeck (1902-1968), born in Salinas, California, is one of the most significant and representative American writers in that era. He is the winner of the Noble Prize for Literature in 1962. John Steinbeck’s living experience in California had a great influence on his writing. He grew up in one of the richest agricultural place. 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