Contributor: Melissa Kowalski. Lesson ID: 12716
You have a mouse; you have men. What do you picture? Disney World? A cheese factory? A farmer's wife with a carving knife? The meaning depends on the setting. Learn what John Steinbeck had in mind!
How would you describe the place where you live? Jot down a few thoughts about your location, then read on to find out why location is important.
There are many ways that a person can describe a location. In literature, this is known as setting. Setting is both the time and place where a story occurs. Almost all pieces of literature have an identifiable setting, even if it's only in a character's mind!
Tell your parent or teacher.
Setting is important because it helps a reader create a mental image of what is occurring in the story. Knowing the time frame in which a story occurs helps a reader understand the reactions of the characters.
Including the location helps the reader visualize the plot in his or her mind.
A third element in literature that setting can help create is mood or emotion. The location and time frame can tell a lot about the emotions of the characters and the atmosphere of the story.
The author of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, was known for being an author who could create vivid settings in his novels. Most of his stories take place in the West, especially in California in the 1920s and 1930s. This was a time when many people were moving to California, often in search of a better climate and more job opportunities. In the 1930s, when the Great Depression gripped the United States, many Midwestern people thought they would have a chance to find farming jobs in California when their lands were ruined from lack of rain and poor farming methods in a drought known as the Dust Bowl. California had the allure of a lush, green state, with mountains and fertile valleys and rivers and moderate temperatures, creating a perfect climate for farming. Of Mice and Men is set in California like other Steinbeck stories.
Before you begin to read Of Mice and Men, there are several vocabulary words you need to look up first. You can use a print dictionary or Dictionary.com (Dictionary.com, LLC) to look up the words below. Write down the definitions on a separate sheet of paper. Then, for each word, write a sentence using the word correctly in the sentence's context. When you have finished the definitions and sentences, share them with your parent or teacher:
After you have defined the terms and used them correctly in sentences, you are ready to begin reading Of Mice and Men. You will need to obtain a copy of the book for this series. You can get a print copy at your local library or bookstore or you can purchase a digital copy for download on an electronic device of your choice. After you have the book, print out the Of Mice and Men Reading Log, found in Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar. You will use this reading log for the entire series, so keep it in a safe place after you have finished this lesson. As you read Chapter One of the novel, answer the comprehension questions in the reading log.
When you have finished reading Chapter One and answering the questions, move on to the Got It? section to check your answers.